The news has been filled this week with the shocking announcement of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Shocking in that it has been over 600 years since the last time someone stepped down from this most prestigious position. From a layman’s point of view, I believe his actions are nothing less than heroic showing great foresight and understanding of his role in society. I believe that we will see a picture of Pope Benedict on stamps from nations around the world. Although individuals from other countries have on occasion appeared on US Postage Stamps, none of the previous popes have had their image engraved on one of our stamps.

If you recall reading my articles in December concerning the various postage stamps the US has produced concerning religious holidays, you will remember that we discussed some of the controversy surrounding those “religious” stamps. The concept of separation of church and state has removed the entire subject of religion from stamp issues. Other countries of the world have not had this dilemma because many have a designated state religion which some believe erodes religious freedom.
When researching religious images on stamps you will find some of the most beautiful works of art. By that I mean that the stamps are themselves a piece of artwork and that stamp images have included some of the most famous artistic religious images. One that I remember from my childhood involved stamps using the image of Michelangelo’s Pieta. These were issued by Vatican City in 1964 to commemorate the New York World’s Fair exhibit of the original statue. I can remember waiting in lines for long periods of time just to be able to catch a glimpse of this marvelous Renaissance sculpture. Which brings me to mention the postal system that has been found to be one of the world’s most efficient systems and one that is used extensively.