2705. 🇻🇦 Death Of Pope Francis. Many Stamp Issues Expected.

 

🇻🇦 The Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday morning, 21 April 2025. The 88 year old pontiff had previously been hospitalised for a severe case of pneumonia but on Sunday appeared before thousands of Roman Catholics in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City to make an appearance and to give a shortened blessing to the faithful. He was dead less than twenty fours later. 

  Pope Francis was the first non-European Pope to be elected to the post since the Syrian-born Gregory III who died in 741 and he was the first pope to come from the Americas and the southern hemisphere. He was elected to be pope on 13 March 2013 and since then numerous stamp issues featuring him were released particularly by the Intergovernmental Philatelic Corporation with the names of its various client countries printed on them though the subject of the issues rarely had any direct relevance to the countries in whose names they were issued. Most of the IGPC issues had less to do with honouring the Pope and more to do with making a fast buck.

  We must expect that a large number of stamps commemorating the late Pontiff will be released in the coming months from entities such as IGPC and the notorious Stamperija as they attempt to cash in on the memory of Francis and doubtless there will be even more depicting his successor, once chosen. A papal death and election are always a business opportunity for the less scrupulous producers of philatelic products.

Some previous philatelic products which featured Pope Francis -

New issues -

🇱🇹 Stamperija -

🇹🇬 Issues inscribed Togolese Republic -

I do not usually report Stamperija products but as these are the first items of 2025 to purport to emanate from Togo, I mention them with illustrations to remind us all of the cynicism and bad taste of this particular ‘agency’ - 

1 April 2025 - Miscellaneous subjects - 13 miniature sheets or sheetlets containing varying numbers of ‘stamps’. Produced in perforate and imperforate forms. Two miniature sheets (one of 4 stamps and the other containing a single stamp) on the subject of the war in Ukraine giving the impression that the government of Togo supports the Ukrainian fight against the Russian invaders and 11 sheets depicting scenes from vintage Walt Disney cartoons - 8 showing the character Mickey Mouse and three depicting scenes from the Danse Macabre (skeleton dance). All very tasteless and exploitative. 

It is worth noting that while these stamps give the impression of Togolese support for Ukraine, at the UN General Assembly meeting held on 24 February 2025, the Togolese delegation failed to support a Ukrainian motion calling for peace and highlighting the role of Russia as the aggressor and instead Togo abstained on the vote (which was better than the United States which supported Putin and voted against the motion). There’s no point in issuing stamps suggesting support for a cause if that support does not actually exist.

Rating - 0 - Avoid.