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Scott #301,302,303 Issued: April 6, 1961 Perforation: 14 The birth date of Pope Leo the Great is not exactly known. He was elected Pope in August, 440 and died November 10, 461. He is one of only three Popes in two thousand years to be called “Great”. The others are Gregory I (590-604) and Pope Saint Nicholas I (858-867). Pope Saint John Paul II has not as yet be officially recognized with the title “Great”. Pope Leo, a doctor of the Church, was unambiguous in his Christological teaching which affirmed the full divinity and humanity of Christ. He preached against heresies rising up in different parts of the church at the time. Pelagianism (involving the denial of Original Sin), Manichaeanism (a gnostic system that saw matter as evil), and significantly in the Eastern Church, Nestorius (which rejected the close union of Christ’s human and divine natures, and rejected the Marian title “God-bearer", claiming that Mary only gave birth to Christ’s human nature). The most famous writing affirming the full divinity and humanity of Christ was a tome written by Pope Leo. This document was sent to the Council of Chalcedon which was held in 451. The Council confirmed most of the Tome as doctrine. Pope Leo’s arguments against the heresies mentioned also strengthen the role of the Rome Pontiff as head of the church. By his leadership in writing the Tome, he confirmed that the Pope is the arbiter on matters of faith and morals. St. Leo is perhaps most famous for persuading Attila the Hun to abandon his plans to sack the city of Rome. The stamps presented above represent the meeting of St. Leo and Attila the Hun. As Leo spoke, Attila saw the vision of two men, one assumed to be Saint Peter, in priestly robes, carrying a bare sword, and threatening to kill the invader if he did not obey Pope Leo and retreat. Pope Leo had a strong devotion to Saint Peter. The design of the stamp is from a marble bas-relief in St. Peter’s Basilica. In addition to the stamps shown at the top of the page, Pope Leo the Great is also remembered on the Council of Chalcedon stamp set. Issued by Vatican City to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the Council, three of the stamps illustrate the final session of the Council. The inscription in the lower left corner of the stamp, "Petrus per leonem locutus est" ("Peter spoke through Leo") affirms the acceptance of Pope Leo's "Tome". There are also two stamps remembering his encounter with Attila the Hun: 
 
 1500th Anniversary of the Council of Chalcedon (Scott 149-153 (1951) 5L, 35L, 100L: Final Session of the Council of Chalcedon 25L, 60L: Pope Leo the Great Encounters Attila the Hun “Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God” References: Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 301-303 Date Issued - 24 October 2025 Face Value - 15 l, 70 l, 300 l |
