Thursday, June 16, 2005

Israel issues Pope John Paul II stamp

According to a press release on the TravelVideo.TV website, Israel has expressed its esteem and appreciation for the late Pope John Paul II by issuing a stamp in his honor.

The stamp is captioned in English and Hebrew with a prayer that the Pope expressed during his visit. "May peace be God's gift to the land He chose as His own. Shalom," he had said. The stamp was released on June 9th, 2005, which would have been the Pope's 85th birthday.

The new stamp apparently marks the first time that a non-Jewish religious leader has appeared on an Israeli stamp. The article quotes New Jersey philatelist Dr. Leonard Cohen, an authority on Israeli stamps as saying, "Israel putting the pope on a stamp will have tremendous historical significance," he said.

The new stamp is available from the Israel Philatelic Agency of North America, c/o IGPC, 460 West 34th St., New York, NY 10001. Phone toll-free 800-607-2799 or email ipana@igpc.net
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posted by Don Schilling at 8:56 PM