Stamp and special die emissionis postmark for the first anniversary of the election of Pope Leo XIV
On the first anniversary of the election of Leo XIV to the Chair of Peter — on May 8, the day of the Supplication to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii — the Postal and Philately Service of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems of the Governorate of Vatican City State has issued a stamp and a special die emissionis postmark.
Pope Leo received the members of the Board of the Vatican Observatory Foundation (VOF) in audience on Monday morning, May 11, in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace. Among those present were Cardinal Donald William Wuerl, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J., President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, Fr. Richard Anthony D’Souza, and Fr. Gabriele Gionti, respectively Director and Deputy Director of the Vatican Observatory.
“Three Saturday Evenings Dedicated to Women” is the initiative taking place in Turin, at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, on the Saturdays leading up to the feast of Pentecost on May 24.
The Rosary for Peace in the World
“Today is the day of the Prayer of Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk at our side, to remain close to us, to help us with her intercession and her love. So I would like to pray together with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole Church, for peace in the world, and let us ask Mary, our Mother, for this special grace: Hail Mary...”
The Governorate of Vatican City State presents the 2025 gold coin collection, a series of numismatic issues of great artistic and symbolic value dedicated to key moments in the Christian faith and the life of the Church.
“The AI and the Future of Work” was the theme of the international conference held on Tuesday morning, May 5, at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Rome, 4 May 2026 – “The Canticle of the Creatures”, one of the most celebrated texts of European spiritual and literary tradition, takes center stage in a shared numismatic project involving the Italian Republic, the Republic of San Marino and the Vatican City State. The result is a triptych of copper coins with a nominal value of €0.75 each, conceived as a single narrative in three chapters dedicated to the work composed by Saint Francis of Assisi around 1224, considered the earliest known text of Italian literature whose author is known.
Friday, April 24 was a special day for 11 children from the “San Francesco e Santa Chiara” nursery school within the Vatican City, as they took part in their first educational field trip outside the school facility. It was a meaningful experience designed to offer the youngest children an opportunity for growth, socialization, and outdoor fun.
For the restoration of four historic statues in the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
A contribution has been made to carry out restoration work on four sculptures inside the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Specifically, these include the two statues representing Saint Peter and Saint Paul located inside the Basilica itself, and two sculptures situated in the quadriportico depicting the figures of Saint Paul and Saint Luke.
The Vatican Observatory is pleased to report that four asteroids have been named for important figures in the history of the Observatory, including Pope Leo XIII, who re-founded the Observatory in 1891.
