A Review of Popes
on the Stamps of Vatican City

A Review of Popes on Stamps From Saint Peter (AD 33)... ...To Pope Francis (2024) “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16: 18-19) With this statement, Saint Peter is named by Christ to lead the Church and becomes its first pope. The inscription on the stamp of Saint Peter above says it: "Tu es Petras"..."You are the Rock". From the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church (Saint Peter) to his 265th successor (the current Pope Francis), Vatican City has portrayed many of the popes on its stamps. Not every pope has been depicted on a stamp, but many have—around sixty (60), based on our Stamp Database Search. Over the next few days, clicking on the Page 2 tab will bring the reader to an excerpt of our presentation of Popes on Stamps. Images of many of the Vatican City stamps that picture the popes will be presented, as well as brief insights into each of them. Since the formation of the Vatican City State in 1929, and the subsequent establishment of the Vatican Post Office that year, stamps depicting the popes fall into two categories: Popes on Stamps to commemorate events of the Church (includes many of the individual popes shown on the stamps) Contemporary popes on stamps issued by Vatican City during their papacies since 1929 (the sitting pope is shown on many stamps during his papacy) As a result, there are MANY stamps issued by Vatican City picturing the popes. This review is not meant to display all stamps for every pope, but provides a sampling of these stamps and their historical context. Today, we look at stamps depicting Saint Peter. Click on the Page 2 button to access the article. The last entry in our series will look at the stamps issued during the periods of “Sede Vacante” (meaning “Empty Seat”), also known as the “Interregnum Periods”—the times between the reigns of popes. This is the period following the death (or as we shall see, the retirement) of a pope and the election of a new pope by the Conclave of Cardinals. We hope you enjoy this look at the Popes on Stamps—and if we missed any, please let us know!