As a global project, Postcrossing welcomes people of all beliefs (or none at all), and we know that moments of religious or cultural significance can also have unexpected relevance for postcard and stamp lovers. With the recent passing of Pope Francis, Vatican City has entered a rare sede vacante period — a special moment that brings with it unique stamps and postal traditions, making it an interesting time for postal lovers.
To mark this occasion, we’re sharing a special travel report from Monika (aka MonikMary), a longtime postcrosser and frequent visitor to the Vatican, who found herself in Rome during this historic time. Here’s her story, in her own words:
"Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, brought the sad news of the passing of Pope Francis, aged 88, the beloved leader of the Catholic Church. As a Catholic, this news deeply saddened me. Yet, it also offered a meaningful opportunity to travel once again to Vatican City – not only to attend the funeral of the late Pope but also to commemorate him through postcards and share this unique moment via Postcrossing.
This wasn’t my first trip to the Vatican, nor my first time sending postcards from there (I personally sent 12% of all the official Vatican cards). So you might wonder: what made this visit special?
When the leader of the Catholic Church dies, the Church — and Vatican City as a state — enters a period called sede vacante, Latin for “the empty seat.” This special time follows centuries-old traditions, one of which is the issuance of unique sede vacante stamps. Imagine a country releasing stamps that are only valid for 2–3 weeks — that’s exactly what the Vatican does! The last sede vacante was in February-March 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
Before my trip, I reached out to the Postcrossing team and asked for help sending cards with the Vatican ID (VA). Connecting to local Wi-Fi is nearly impossible in Vatican unless you are a priest or official worker, so this step was necessary.
It took eight days for the Vatican to make the stamps available, and I was finally able to buy them on Monday, April 28, despite asking for them as early as Thursday. But it was possible – and what a joy it was! I got to send postcards not only featuring views of the Vatican or images of Pope Francis, but also adorned with one of the rarest stamps in the world.
There was, however, a challenge. Since October 2024, there’s been an official rule limiting purchases to 10 stamps per person. I showed the postal clerk that I had written over 200 cards (35 of them official Postcrossing postcards) and explained how much I hoped to use sede vacante stamps. She made a phone call, and after reviewing the situation, kindly allowed me to buy the stamps for all my cards. What a relief and a blessing!
Postcrossing is truly about connection, kindness, and respect. I believe Pope Francis would have appreciated our community and the values we share. I like to think he would have enjoyed reading our profiles and getting to know us. Maybe we should invite the next pope to one of our meetings!
PS: If you have any questions about where to buy postcards in Vatican City, stamp prices, or anything about the Vatican Post, Monika would be happy to help — just send her a private message!
37 comments so far
Philatelic or postal history in the very making with a genuine purpose: send those ♥ fantastic postcrossing cards out, departing from a special place at a special moment in time! I hope for you, Monika, that not too many cards had to be sent to Australia, huge price @ € 3.20☺. It must be awesome to be one of few among us to get your Sede Vacante postcard, your idea to send so many cards will truly be a great and unforgettable part of your historic trip to the Vatican in the April 2025. Me and - undoubtedly - many of us wish to thank you for telling your story here.
Wow, interesting, I didn’t know that. Thank you for sharing your story 😊.
Best wishes, Aileen
Wish I can get one ^_^
I imagine 200 people smiling looking at the postcard, a real time capsule! :)
What a great idea to send out your cards with this rare stamp to Postcrossers and your friends!
Thank you Monica for sharing about this unique piece of history and Vadican culture ( that personally I had not a clue was even a thing!)
I was in the Vatican a few months ago and I had the same issue as you: can’t connect to a local WiFi, and roaming service showed I was in Italy. I think this is an issue that Postcrossing should address (pun non intended) since I spent 3 days on Rome and I didn’t knew in advance which one I would go to Vatican. At the end, I sent Vatican postcards and stamps with an Italian ID
Thanks for sharing your very interesting story! There will be some very happy card recipients very soon. It was very kind of you to take so much time to make this happen!
Very cool.
Thanks for sharing this special moment with us! Congratulations on participating in this unique time in church history. How considerate of the Vatican to sell the volume of stamps to you under this exceptional situation. I would love to receive one of those stamps as I have several Vatican stamps from local seminarians who are studying there. Happy travels to you and happy PostCrossing!
Thank you for sharing this unique story on navigating Vatican City's postal system during a historic moment. I also appreciate hearing the challenges Postcrossing users have when using travel mode there. I wonder if Vatican City's post office could put in a WIFI hotspot to help facilitate communication, and certainly to help Postcrossing users obtain mailing addresses?
I do love the moment of grace she receives when her request to buy more stamps for the sake of mailing 200 postcards is approved by a kind employee.
There will be 200 very fortunate individuals who will be receiving a rare stamp and postcard for sure!
Fabulous MonikMary, to be at this remarkable time in the mystical city of Vatican!
This is the frist card sent in Travel Mode from Vatican.
https://www.postcrossing.com/postcards/VA-207
Monika, you are 😇 blessed! I, too, was saddened by the Pope’s passing. You are so fortunate to be there and send forth those postcards in his honor ❤️ The Conclave now begins, let’s hope for a new beginning of faith and leadership.
Whoa that is amazing!! Thank you for sharing this with us.
I would absolutely love to receive one and swap with you, should you be interested. ✨ 💜
Thanks for sharing this Monika!
Most interesting story and lucky you! Thank you for sharing. I hope the Cardinals will make another excellent choice for Pope.
Thank you for sharing. I will have my fingers crossed for the next week or two hoping that I was one of the lucky 35 officials.
I'll post back here when I receive it. ;-)
Wow, finde ich cool, danke für die Infos
That is so cool, so far (and please correct me if I'm wrong) Malta are the only country to have released Pope Francis in memorandum stamps. But it's crazy to think that we could have a new pope any day now which would invalidate these stamps.
200 postcards? Your hand must be so sore
I am Italian and I didn’t know this! How interesting.. I wish I could get this special stamp too! Only a minor correction: sede vacante is actually Italian 🙂 I can imagine the surprise of the Vatican postal officer when you asked stamps for 200 postcards 🤣
Very cool story, thanks for sharing! Lucky recipients!
Thanks for sharing! Very interesting!❤️
Thank you for sharing this story, Monika! It was really intersting to learn about these special stamps and I am glad to hear everyone in the Vatican was so nice and helpful. All the best!
What a wonderful historic gift to receive. Thank you for the story & for your heart!
Amazing story love this
Love they valued your story and helped you spread joy around the world.
Amazing history. Thanks for sharing
Thank you Monika for sharing your story
🖤🖤🖤🖤
Thank you for telling us all about this. This is a special time in the Church. When I get to Vatican City I will be sure to use that post office.
That's amazing! Very interesting to hear, Monika. My sincere respect to the postal worker who helped. How wonderful you are that so many people will receive such a rarity thanks to you!
How I would love to receive such a postcard :)!
Again a special story. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this story! I was also in the Vatican two days after the Pope's passing and unfortunately I was unable to pull an official address due to lack of WiFi. At least I was able to send a card to myself. I hope a solution will be found for this!
Good timing! I'm going to Rome this sunday and I'll visit the Vatican as well. I booked my trip a couple of months ago so this Pope situation came as a surprise. 😅
Thank you for sharing the story.
What a remarkable story!
Wow, this gives me the chills! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and postal love! Watching Conclave coverage from Pittsburgh as I type. Sara
This is fantastic! I loved reading this! And I see that 5 of Monika's postcards have already been registered today, all in Germany! Lucky Germany! :)
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