DUBLIN, Ireland – Ireland is issuing two commemorative postage stamps to mark the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to Dublin for a Vatican-sponsored international family jamboree.
The 1 euro stamp features Francis with a dove taking flight, while the 1.50 euro stamp has a family walking together on the beach.
Around 500,000 people are expected to descend on the Irish capital for the Aug. 21-26 World Meeting of Families, the largest event in the country since John Paul II visited the island in 1979. Francis will attend the final two days of the event.
An Post, the Irish postal service, has printed 500,000 of the 1 euro stamps and 100,000 of the 1.50 euro stamps.
The stamps were scheduled to be on sale in selected post offices nationwide from July 26, while first day covers, miniature sheets, and souvenir sheets will be available at Dublin’s historic General Post Office and online.
Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said the stamps were a fitting tribute to what he hoped would be ‘’a memorable and uplifting visit of Pope Francis to the World Meeting of Families in Ireland — a visit that presents a great opportunity for the Church and the country.”
