125th Birthday of Pope Paul VI

The Council Pope smiling with arms outstretched — a gesture he frequently used to greet the crowds. He is dressed in a cassock and cape with a sash at the waist, its hem embroidered with the arms of his pontificate. The image is inspired by the tapestry displayed on the façade of St Peter's Basilica during the beatification ceremony on 19 October 2014. Along the upper left edge, the issuing state 'CITTA' DEL VATICANO'; below it, the years '1897' and '2022', the Rome Mint mark 'R', and the name of designer 'D. LONGO'. Along the right edge, the commemorative inscription 'PAPA PAOLO VI'.

Giovanni Battista Montini, born on 26 September 1897 in Concesio near Brescia, is one of the most influential popes of the 20th century. As Paul VI, he led the Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978 through one of the most profound reform periods in its history: he brought the Second Vatican Council to its conclusion and implemented its decisions — including the introduction of vernacular languages into the liturgy in place of Latin. With him, the Vatican honours a pope who realigned the global Church both institutionally and theologically while holding firm on central doctrinal positions, earning him a reputation as a reformer with conservative foundations. Pope Francis canonised him in 2018.

Paul VI was the first pope since Pius IX to undertake extensive travels — to Jerusalem, India, the United States, and Africa. This openness to the world reflected his ambition to bring the Church into dialogue with modernity without abandoning its continuity. His pontificate was also marked by tensions: the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, which rejected artificial contraception, sparked debates worldwide and continues to weigh on his theological legacy today. To mark his 125th birthday, the Vatican issued a 2-euro commemorative coin in 2022, recalling the life and work of this influential Church leader.