On April 19, 2005, 78-year-old Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected as the 265th Pope in an unbroken line dating back nearly 2,000 years. He chose to be known as Pope Benedict XVI. The first Pope was St. Peter, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, who arrived in Rome in 42 A.D. and was martyred there in 67 A.D. This commemorative cover honors both the 2,000-year tradition of the Papacy and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. The official Vatican stamp was issued by the Philatelic Office of the Vatican City. It depicts the virgin and child, and it is canceled with the official Vatican City postmark of April 24, 2005 – the exact date of Pope Benedict XVI’s official inauguration. The one-time-only postmark certifies the Cover as a genuine limited edition. In addition to the stamp and postmark, this Cover also includes a 1 Euro coin from the new Pope’s native Germany. The eagle on the coin is a traditional symbol of German sovereignty. |