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As we end the month of August, Vatican collectors are still on the lookout for the latest stamp releases expected in early September. But there is one philatelic story tied to Vatican City, as well as a look once again at Pope Leo at his summer home away from Rome, Castel Gandolfo.  Papal Villa At Castel Gandolfo Vatican City Postal Card Issue of 1988 On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV participated in the Feast of Our Lady of the Lake at Castel Gandolfo and Lake Albano, southwest of Rome. The pope celebrated Mass at the Chiesa di Maria Santissima del Lago (the Church of Mary Most Holy of the Lake) and then took part in the procession which carried the statue of Our Lady to the shore along Lake Albano. There, the pope and the statue boarded a boat for a cruise around the lakeshore. Two past popes (Paul VI and John Paul II) have taken part in this celebration, but Pope Leo is the first pope to take the boat trip around the lake with the statue. On a historical note, this year marks the 400th anniversary of the use of Castel Gandolfo as the papal summer retreat, a tradition that began in 1526 with Pope Urban VIII. On Friday, the United Nations Postal Administration was scheduled to unveil a new six-stamp set honoring Vatican City as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The first day of issue ceremony was due to take place at the NAPEX Stamp Show in McLean, Virginia. However, an error was detected with one of the stamps. The stamp showing the picture of a spiral staircase at the Vatican Museums was identified as the Bramante Staircase when, in fact, the photo shows the Momo Staircase, also at the Museums. The stamp release was expected to be delayed, and the disposition of the error stamps has not been announced. There will surely be more to come on this interesting situation. Here are links to two articles which appeared on the Italian philatelic website, Vaccari News: Vaccari News: UNESCO for the Vatican Vaccari News: There is a mistake, and it can be fixed |
