The Vatican is celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between the United States of America and the Holy See with a new postage stamp.
The stamp pays homage to both nations with the seals of both the Vatican and the US, tied together with banners that bear the papal colors of yellow and white, which turn into the American red, white, and blue. Written in Italian, the stamp reads: “Holy See and United States of America, 40 Years of Diplomatic Relations, Vatican City.”
The stamp is worth 2.45 Euros, or $2.75, and it will officially go on sale on September 16, 2024. While it is an official stamp and is usable as postage, it is also a collectible and will only be available for a limited time. According to the Postal Museum, the Vatican generally prints between 300,000 and 500,000 stamps for an average issue.
The Vatican has been making stamps since just two days after it became politically independent from Italy under the Lateran Pacts of February 11, 1929. What began as a ragtag operation with donated equipment and supplies has become a postal service that was described by the Universal Postal Union as "one of the best postal systems in the world." It is also one of the busiest, as it is estimated that more letters are sent from the Vatican per capita than anywhere else in the world.
The Vatican’s diplomatic relations with the United States were formally established on January 10, 1984, under President Ronald Reagan. Catholic Standard reports, however, that the philatelic office clarified that the two nations have a shared history that dates back to 1788.
It was then that Benjamin Franklin visited Pope Pius VI, on behalf of President George Washington, in order to explain that the United States’ freedom of religion meant that the Vatican would not need to seek state approval before installing a new bishop.
The following year, Pope Pius VI appointed American-born Jesuit Father John Carroll to become the first bishop of Baltimore. The rest, as they say, is history.
