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On 21 April 2014, Pope Francis canonized Blessed Pope John XXIII. Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, was elected after seven ballots on 28 October 1958 following the death of Pope Pius XII. He took the name John XXIII. A native of Lombardy, from a family of sharecroppers, he served in the papal diplomatic service from the 1920s to the 1950s in Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, and France and became Patriarch of Venice in 1953. John XXIII is remembered as a cheerful and pastoral pope, often called "Good Pope John." Assumed to be a caretaker pope, he wrote significant encyclicals such as Pacem in Terris (1963) addressed to "all men of good will." He was the first pope to make pastoral visits in the Diocese of Rome since 1870. Pope John XXIII summoned the Second Vatican Council, which he opened on 11 October 1962. He was the last pope to utilize the traditional papal ceremony and the last to have a lengthy coronation, much of which was abolished subsequently after Vatican II. Pope John XXIII died 3 June 1963. His feast day is celebrated on 11 October. The Vatican issued a €0,70 stamp honoring the canonization of Pope John XXIII. The stamp contains a photograph of the Pope in full vestments and wearing the papal triple tiara, his right hand raised in benediction. The titles of Pope John XXIII's encyclicals are printed in the form of a cross on the left side of the stamp. 300,000 stamps were issued in sheets of ten. 
John Paul II and John XXIII, both who were canonized on the same day, are depicted on a souvenir sheet with two €1,00 stamps. The interior apse of St. Peter's Basilica serves as the background for the two saints, obviously a scene created for the 200,000 souvenir sheets. The €0,70 stamp was a joint issue with Italy while the souvenir sheet was a joint issue with Poland. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 1557 - 1558 Date Issued - 21 March 2014 Face Value - €0,70 Perforations - 13-1/4 x 13-1/4 Printing Process - Offset Printer - Cartor (France) Max Printed - 300,000 Joint Issue - Italy |
| (Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 62 Issue: 360 Page: 4-6) |
