The Vatican released a new postage stamp on 27 February, depicting Kyiv's Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ during a blackout — an unusual move for the Vatican Postal Service, which typically avoids political references in its designs, Reuters reports.
The stamp shows the cathedral darkened by a lack of electricity but illuminated from behind with the orange glow of an evening sky. Blackouts have become a routine experience across Ukraine as Russia targets the electricity grid, power stations, and other energy infrastructure with missiles and drones.
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, leader of Ukraine's four million Eastern-rite Catholics, called the stamp's release "a great moment of consolation" at a Vatican unveiling event.
"We really feel embraced by the Holy See for this particular attention to our history, to our life in this tragic moment of war," Shevchuk said, speaking Italian.
The stamp was issued in the week marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion and formally celebrates two milestones: the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Kyiv's Catholic diocese after the fall of the Soviet Union and the 12th anniversary of the cathedral's construction.
The cathedral has also served as a bomb shelter during the war. Shevchuk called it a "centre of resistance."
While the Vatican Postal Service frequently issues stamps to mark Catholic holidays or honor national churches, it usually sticks to depictions of religious figures such as local saints, according to Reuters. The choice to depict a wartime blackout scene marks a departure from that practice.
Around 10% of Ukrainians belong to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which follows Eastern rites but recognizes the authority of the pope and is in communion with Rome. A majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Orthodox.
The stamp's release comes days after Pope Leo made an appeal on Sunday for peace in Ukraine, saying an end to the war with Russia "cannot be postponed." The US is trying to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv but so far without success.
The stamp carries a value of €1.35 ($1.60), covering delivery of a regular-size letter across Europe. The Vatican, a sovereign state within Rome, has maintained an independent postal service since 1929. Tens of thousands of tourists visit daily, and many buy stamps at Vatican post office branches, including in St. Peter's Square, to send postcards home.
