SW News: On May 16, Poste Italiane, the postal service provider in Italy, issued a stamp in honor of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who passed away recently.

This new stamp edition includes a portrait of the former Pope, who was elected to the papal throne in 2005. The Pope’s Italian name, “PAPA BENEDETTO XVI”, and the years denoting his papal tenure, are inscribed on the stamp. Currently, five hundred thousand and twenty-four copies have been issued for circulation.

In order to honor the former pontiff and his Marian legacy, the Vatican issued a stamp earlier this year in January, which had an image of him standing next to Mother Mary’s statue.

Pope Benedict XVI, whose original name was Joseph Ratzinger, was born on April 16, 1927, in Germany's Bavaria. The former pope studied philosophy and theology at the University of Munich and at the higher school of Freising respectively. Before he was elected as pope in 2005, he served as the president of several commissions, including the International Theological Commission. During his eight-year papacy, he wrote 3 encyclical letters, including "Deus Caritas est" (God is Love). He passed away on December 31 last year at the age of 95.