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Pope Francis woke up to over 50,000 emails wishing him happy birthday across the globe. The majority of messages came from English-speaking countries, followed by Spanish, Italian and more than 1,000 in Latin. The Pope celebrated his 80th birthday by sharing breakfast with eight homeless people the Vatican dining room. The homeless people, including six men and two women, were chosen from area of St. Peter Basilica earlier in the morning, according to the Vatican. They hailed from across the world, four from Italy, two from Romania and one each from Moldova and Peru. The pontiff offered guests sweets from his native Argentina during the meal, which also featured pastries, meats, Nutella and orange juice. He later celebrated Mass with the Cardinals. 
It is customary in recent years for the Vatican to honor living popes on their 80th birthday with a special stamp issue, an age reached by Pope Francis on 17 December 2016. Artist Raúl Berzosa designed the miniature sheet with four €1,00 stamps. The design elements include a portion of a column supporting the baldicchino over the Bernini altar in St. Peter's Basilica. Our Lady of Luján, Patroness of Argentina, with a robe of blue and white reflecting the Argentine flag, is displayed behind the Pope's right arm. The stamps, along with the papal arms, are superimposed over a painting of a portion of St. Peter's Basilica. The UFN also produced a folder which contains four of the stamps and information on the artist's work. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 1636 - 1636M Date Issued - 17 November 2016 Face Value - €1,00 Perforations - 13.3 x 13.3 Printing Process - Offset Printer - The Lowe Martin Group (Canada) Max Printed - 300,000 |
| (Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 65 Issue: 371 Page: 4-6 cbsnews.com) |
