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PHLPost launches postage stamp honoring Pope Francis

PHLPost launches postage stamp honoring Pope Francis

GMA Network2 days ago

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) on Thursday launched a commemorative stamp honoring Pope Francis.
In a statement, PHLPost said the release of Pope Francis' stamp celebrates his 'enduring legacy of faith, compassion, and service to humanity.'
The stamp is in a se-tenant format or printed from the same plate. It consists of a connected pair with unique designs.
'One highlights Pope Francis's spiritual humility, while the other reflects his strong advocacy for peace, social justice, and environmental stewardship,' PHLPost said.
It explained that the format presents the dual aspect of Pope Francis' mission and influence across religious and global humanitarian efforts.
The commemorative stamp has 20,000 printed copies. There are also 1,000 pieces of the Official First Day Cover, which has the newly issued stamps and a cancellation postmark stamped with the official release date.
These limited-edition items are now available for purchase at the Manila Central Post Office.
'Through this stamp, we are sending a message of unity, love, and faith that transcends borders. It is our humble way of honoring a global religious figure who has touched countless lives, including millions of Filipinos,' Postmaster General and CEO Luis Carlos said.
PHLPost previously released stamps of Pope Francis, including the 2015 commemorative stamp during his apostolic visit to the Philippines and the 2014 stamp that marked the first year of his papacy.
Pope Francis, who replaced the late Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, died at the age of 88 on April 21, 2025, due to a stroke and irreversible heart failure.
He was succeeded by Pope Leo XIV, who was inaugurated on May 18, 2025. —VBL, GMA Integrated News

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PHLPost launches postage stamp honoring Pope Francis
PHLPost launches postage stamp honoring Pope Francis

GMA Network

time2 days ago

  • GMA Network

PHLPost launches postage stamp honoring Pope Francis

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) on Thursday launched a commemorative stamp honoring Pope Francis. In a statement, PHLPost said the release of Pope Francis' stamp celebrates his 'enduring legacy of faith, compassion, and service to humanity.' The stamp is in a se-tenant format or printed from the same plate. It consists of a connected pair with unique designs. 'One highlights Pope Francis's spiritual humility, while the other reflects his strong advocacy for peace, social justice, and environmental stewardship,' PHLPost said. It explained that the format presents the dual aspect of Pope Francis' mission and influence across religious and global humanitarian efforts. The commemorative stamp has 20,000 printed copies. There are also 1,000 pieces of the Official First Day Cover, which has the newly issued stamps and a cancellation postmark stamped with the official release date. These limited-edition items are now available for purchase at the Manila Central Post Office. 'Through this stamp, we are sending a message of unity, love, and faith that transcends borders. It is our humble way of honoring a global religious figure who has touched countless lives, including millions of Filipinos,' Postmaster General and CEO Luis Carlos said. PHLPost previously released stamps of Pope Francis, including the 2015 commemorative stamp during his apostolic visit to the Philippines and the 2014 stamp that marked the first year of his papacy. Pope Francis, who replaced the late Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, died at the age of 88 on April 21, 2025, due to a stroke and irreversible heart failure. He was succeeded by Pope Leo XIV, who was inaugurated on May 18, 2025. —VBL, GMA Integrated News

Pope Leo, in first month, makes a break in style from Francis
Pope Leo, in first month, makes a break in style from Francis

GMA Network

time3 days ago

  • GMA Network

Pope Leo, in first month, makes a break in style from Francis

Pope Leo XIV gestures on the day he holds a general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican June 4, 2025. REUTERS/ Guglielmo Mangiapane VATICAN CITY — In his first month, Pope Leo has taken a very different approach to his predecessor Francis. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, has led some two dozen public events since he was elected as the first US pope on May 8 but not made notable appointments, nor announced plans for foreign trips, nor said where he will live at the Vatican. It's a stark contrast to when Francis, originally from Argentina, was selected as the first pope from the Americas in March 2013. Within a month, Francis had announced he would be the first pontiff in more than a century to live outside the Vatican's apostolic palace, appointed his successor as Archbishop of Buenos Aires and created a new formal advisory group of senior Catholic cardinals. Two of Leo's long-time associates told Reuters they expect the 69-year-old Pope to take a deliberative approach to the challenges facing the Catholic Church and may require months before making major decisions. "Leo is taking his time," Rev. Mark Francis, a friend of the new pontiff since the 1970s, told Reuters. "While he is going to continue in the path indicated by Pope Francis, his disposition is very different." Leo was first appointed a bishop by Francis in 2015 and then chosen by the late pope to take up a senior Vatican role two years ago. He has frequently praised his predecessor in his first weeks. He has also repeated some of Francis' main themes, and has echoed the Argentine pontiff's emotional appeals for an end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. But the two men have different temperaments, according to Rev. Francis, who attended seminary with Leo in Chicago and later knew him when they both lived in Rome in the 2000s. 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Anthony Pizzo, who has known Leo since 1974 when they attended Villanova University outside Philadelphia together, said the pope is someone who listens carefully and seeks to hear many viewpoints before making decisions. "This is going to be his modus operandi," said Pizzo, who leads the Midwest US province of the Augustinian religious order, to which Leo also belongs. "When you first come into leadership, listen well, get to know your constituency … to make a well-informed decision," Pizzo added, describing the pope's thought process. A 'shy' listener Francis and Leo came to the papacy at different ages and with different career backgrounds. Francis, elected at age 76, had been a cardinal for 12 years before ascending to the papacy. He had earlier been a leading contender in the 2005 conclave that elected his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. Leo, seven years younger when he donned the white papal cassock, is a relative unknown on the world stage who only became a cardinal and Vatican official two years ago. He spent most of his prior career as a missionary in Peru. Early in his tenure, Francis told journalists that, due to his age, he expected to have a brief papacy of only a few years. Leo, the youngest pontiff since John Paul II was elected at age 58 in 1978, can perhaps expect a papacy of ten or more years. Among the challenges facing the new pope is a Vatican budget shortfall estimated at 83 million euros, two knowledgeable sources told Reuters. The city-state also has a much larger gap in its pension fund, said to total some 631 million euros by the Vatican's finance czar in 2022 but estimated by several insiders to have since ballooned significantly. In his first weeks, Leo has not addressed the budget issues and has made only a few new appointments to Vatican roles. But he has held formal one-on-one meetings with many senior Vatican officials, which Pizzo suggested the pope could be using to try to learn quickly. Rev. Jorge Martinez Vizueta, who knew Leo in Peru, said he is someone who pays close attention to what people tell him. "He listens a lot, even with a certain shyness," said Martinez, an Augustinian at a monastery where Leo previously was a spiritual advisor. Although Leo has not announced where he will live, more than three informed sources said he is expected to move into the official papal apartments in the Vatican's apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's Square. Francis shunned the palace in favor of a Vatican hotel. One senior source, who asked not to be identified, said the papal apartments, which have not been lived in since 2013, will require at least 2 to 3 months of renovations. Careful with responses While Francis made some big decisions quickly in his first month, he also took time on other issues. He did not make his first trip abroad until late July 2013, four months into his papacy. Leo's first foreign trip is likely to be to Turkey, to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of an early Church council with Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Vatican has not announced the trip, but it was previously planned for Francis. Bartholomew told an Italian television station that he and Leo discussed the possibility of the new pope travelling to Turkey in late November. Francis, who often spoke off the cuff, was known for giving freewheeling news conferences on flights home from his trips abroad and frequently responded to queries with an unexpected quip. Asked during his first flight home about a Vatican official said to be gay, Francis famously responded: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?" Rev. Francis said Leo, who in his first month has largely read from prepared texts, is likely to be more careful with his responses during news conferences. "He won't be shooting from the hip like Francis did while speaking with journalists," said the priest. — Reuters

CA panel suspends appointment hearing of 2 Comelec commissioners
CA panel suspends appointment hearing of 2 Comelec commissioners

GMA Network

time3 days ago

  • GMA Network

CA panel suspends appointment hearing of 2 Comelec commissioners

A panel of the Commission on Appointments (CA) suspended Wednesday the consideration of the ad-interim appointments of Commission on Elections Commissioners Ma. Norina Tangaro-Casingal and Noli Pipo due to lack of material time. Camarines Sur Representative LRay Villafuerte raised the motion to suspend the appointment hearing. It was seconded by Senator Risa Hontiveros. 'On motion of the minority floor leader, duly seconded, there being no objection, the Committee on Constitutional Commission and Offices hereby suspend the consideration of the ad-interim appointment of Ms. Ma. Norina Tangaro-Casingal,' said Senator Cynthia Villar, CA committee chairperson, said. 'It will be resumed on June 10, 2025 at 11 a.m. The same goes to Mr. Noli Rafol Pipo,' she said. Tangaro-Casingal faced the CA amid several oppositions on the confirmation of her and Pipo's appointment as Comelec commissioners, including a complaint letter filed by Ronald Cardema, chairperson of Duterte Youth, to the Office of Senate President Francis Escudero. During the hearing, Cardema reiterated the party-list's 'strongest opposition' to the confirmation of the two commissioners as he accused them of impartiality when they agreed to suspend the proclamation of Duterte Youth over their pending cases. He cited other Eleksyon 2025 candidates who were marred with similar issues. 'We would like to convey our strongest opposition to these two temporary government officials in the Comelec,' he said. 'The character of these two has been tested three weeks ago and clearly, they have failed in this test. They have twisted the results of the democracy and the sovereign will of more than 2.3 million Filipinos,' Cardema added. The CA panel also noted the sworn opposition filed by Rogelio Rabanal, and Dr. Felipe Montealco Jr. Senator Aquilino Pimentel III also wrote to Escudero's office, seeking the postponement of the CA hearing for the ad-interim appointment of the two commissioners. In February, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named Tangaro-Casingal as the new Comelec commissioner, replacing ex-commissioner Socorro Inting, who retired after completing her seven-year term. Tangaro-Casingal was director of the Comelec Law Department since 2016. She was an election lawyer who served in the Comelec for 27 years. Marcos Jr. also appointed Pipo to succeed ex-Commissioner Marlon Casquejo. Pipo has been serving at the Comelec for 32 years. He started as an election officer in Bangued, Abra, in 1993 before climbing the ranks and acting as regional election director since 2006. Meanwhile, the CA committee approved in the plenary the appointment of Civil Service Commission (CSC) Commissioner Luis Pangulayan, and Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Douglas Michael Mallillin. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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