With 13 days to go until World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023, Correios de Portugal (CTT) presented today, July 19th, the second exclusive stamp issue dedicated to the largest international gathering of youth with the Pope.  

CTT explained that "this release consists of two stamps with face values of €0.61 and €1.15, with a circulation of 75,000 copies each, and also a postage stamp block, which can be purchased for €3."  

With WYD taking place in Portugal between August 1-6, CTT did not want to miss this milestone: "This historic event taking place this year in Lisbon would have to be part of our national postage stamp collection."  

The new stamps represent Pope Francis and the WYD Symbols - Pilgrim Cross ("WYD Cross") and the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani - which have been on pilgrimage throughout the country and are now in the Diocese of Lisbon, the last Diocese to receive the Symbols before WYD Lisbon 2023.

On August 1st, 2022, CTT had already launched the first edition of the stamp dedicated to WYD Lisbon 2023 to celebrate the final year before the largest international gathering of youth with the Pope.  

This is not the first time the postal service has collaborated with the Catholic Church. In 1895, a monumental series of stamps was issued to mark the 700th anniversary of the birth of St. Anthony. In addition to this commemoration, all papal visits, all the momentous moments in the life and history of the Church, and the Portuguese saints were also illustrated with the issue of the stamps.