Kolkata: The Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office (UFN in Italian) goofed up on the picture of the cathedral used in the commemorative stamp to be issued on Sept. 2, to mark the canonization of St Teresa of Calcutta.
The picture of the cathedral used in the stamp is that of the Church of North India’s (Anglican) iconic St Paul’s Cathedral (estd. 1849) situated near Kolkata maidan and Victoria memorial instead of the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Rosary just across the Brabourne Road, on Portuguese Street, commonly known as Murgihata established in 1799.
When the faux pas was brought to the attention of the UFN, according to reliable sources the officials came up with “an absolutely lame excuse, saying it is to highlight Mother Teresa’s ecumenical aspect.”
Matters India sources in Rome add, “They (UFN Officials) clearly mistook St. Paul’s Cathedral for the Catholic Holy Rosary Cathedral and now as it is too late to correct the mistake and recall the prints, and they are harping on ecumenism of Mother Teresa.”
The issuance of the postage stamp was announced August 5, stating they would print and sell a maximum of 150,000 sheets of 10 stamps each.
The 95-cent (Euro) stamp features a wrinkled but radiant Mother Teresa smiling in her blue-trimmed, white sari. Overlaid on the design by Patrizio Daniele is another image of her holding the hand of a small child.
“Frail but equally determined in her vocation, Mother Teresa loved God and the church with great strength, simplicity and extraordinary humility, glorifying with her life the dignity of a most humble service,” says the brochure announcing the stamp’s release.
“She was a humble messenger of the Gospel and of Christ’s love, known as ‘a small pencil in the hands of the Lord,’ doing her work quietly and always with great love,” it says.
“She assisted the poor, the sick and the abandoned with tireless dedication, offering smiles and simple gestures, finding strength to persevere with her vocation through prayer and trust in God.”