The Vatican’s postal services honored Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI with a stamp highlighting his dedication to the Virgin Mary by issuing stamp. The stamp was issued on 31 January, exactly a month after his passing, and features a photo taken in 2009, while the Pope was on vacation in the Aosta Valley in the North of Italy. The press release on the stamp states that it wants to recall the German Pontiff’s dedication to the Virgin Mary.
The stamp also wants to express the “fragrance of gratitude,” that Pope Francis mentioned in his homily during Benedict XVI’s funeral on January 5th. The stamp, printed in Belgium, costs 1,25 € (around $1.36) and only 105,000 copies were produced