First stamps of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate released

The Catholic Herald• June 2, 2025

On 27 May 2025, the Vatican’s Philatelic and Numismatic Office released its first official postage stamps featuring Pope Leo XIV. The series comprises four stamps, each capturing key events from the initial phase of his pontificate. The €1.25 and €2.45 stamps depict Pope Leo XIV’s first public appearance on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on 8 May, immediately following his election. The €1.30 and €3.20 stamps showcase moments from the Mass he celebrated with the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on 9 May.

A total of 390,000 stamps were printed, each bearing the Latin inscription “Leone PP. XIV” and the notation “Anno I S.P. MMXXV,” indicating the first year of his pontificate.

The release of the stamps follows the issuance of sede vacante stamps, which marked the period between Pope Francis’s death and the election of his successor. The sede vacante stamps, which traditionally feature the coat of arms used during the interregnum (the umbraculum and the crossed keys of St Peter), were valid for postage until the new pope’s inauguration.

The Vatican began using its own postage stamps on 1 August 1929, shortly after the Lateran Treaty established the Vatican City State as an independent sovereign entity on 11 February 1929.

The first set of Vatican stamps, known as the “Conciliation” issue, was jointly produced with Italy and featured religious and state imagery. These stamps marked the beginning of the Vatican’s independent postal system, which operates separately from the Italian postal service and is administered by the Philatelic and Numismatic Office of Vatican City.

For those interested in acquiring the Pope Leo XIV stamps, they are available for purchase at Vatican post offices and will soon be accessible online through the Vatican’s official philatelic website.