On the Dies Natalis of Pope Francis

The Postal and Philatelic Service of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems of the Governorate of the Vatican City State has produced a special postmark to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Pope Francis (2013–2025), which falls on April 21, 2026.

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you; carefully consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7). Deep and heartfelt are the sentiments of gratitude for the late Pope Francis, who returned to the House of the Father on the morning of Monday, April 21, 2025, at the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

During the 31^st Annual Rector’s Dinner of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, held on Thursday evening, April 16, Monsignor Thomas W. Powers, presented the Rector’s Awards to the President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, and to the American couple Curtis and Michaelann Martin.

New electric vehicle for waste collection

In keeping with its goal of reaching zero emissions, another step has been added to the “Ecological Conversion 2030” program of the Vatican City State by transforming waste into a resource and reducing the environmental impact through renewable energy sources.

An agreement was signed on Friday, April 10, between the Governorate of Vatican City and Elli Mobility, a company of the Volkswagen Group. The agreement concerns the adoption of Elli Mobility’s card and the use of its centralized digital platform to manage the charging of the electric vehicle fleet.