2017-02-03 Fri

The 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation will be celebrated by Vatican City with the release of some special stamps. Other themes for the Vatican City stamps that will be issued this year include Christmas, Easter, saints, and popes.

German scholar Martin Luther wrote and nailed 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on 31st October 1517 after which the Reformation began. This led to the rise of Protestantism and excommunication of Luther from the Catholic Church in 1521. The Reformation is being celebrated all over the world to promote unity among Christian churches.

Lutherans and Catholics have a lot of mutual understanding which has led to the betterment of both the communities. Lithuania was the first to issue a commemorative stamp on 7th January. The €0.39 stamp features a portrait of Luther and the Wittenberg church. The first-day cancel shows the nailing of the theses to the church’s door.

Germany and Brazil will be releasing a joint issue to celebrate the same occasion on 13th April. A €2.60 stamp was issued on 2nd January by Germany honouring Luther’s German-language translation of the Bible with his handwritten notations. The translated Bible of 1534 in Wittenberg influenced the German language very much and triggered the translation of the Bible into many other European languages.