On 14 February 2015, Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church made Tongan history by elevating Soane Patita Paini Mafi to the office of Cardinal, the first such from the South Pacific island Kingdom of Tonga.
At the same time, Cardinal Mafi became the youngest member of the College of Cardinals, the body that elects new popes, among many other duties.
So proud of their native son, Tonga Post marked the event by releasing three commemorative stamps plus a souvenir sheet sporting a fourth stamp a year ago this month on 1 April 2015.
Cardinal Mafi and Pope Francis featured on a trio of commemorative stamps from the South Pacific’s Kingdom of Tonga. • Courtesy Tonga Post
The three single stamps issued in panes of 25 for each value include a $2.25 commemorative which portrays a serious Cardinal Mafi waiting his turn to greet Pope Francis on the day of his investiture, a $2.70 stamp featuring a smiling cardinal and the $5.00 stamp which depicts Pope Francis at the outdoor event in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square.
Cardinal Mafi and Pope Francis portrayed on a high-value Tongan stamp commemorating Cardinal Mafi’s investiture on 14 February 2015 in Vatican City. • Courtesy Tonga Post
The fourth stamp in this commemorative series forms a souvenir sheet and is valued at $8.50. All denominations are in Tongan pa‘anga, which is currently worth about half a United States dollar. An aerial view of St. Peter’s Basilica and of St. Peter’s Square appears in the background of the souvenir sheet.
While flying from Auckland, New Zealand, t0 Nuku‘alofa, Tonga, recently, I noticed that Cardinal Mafi and two assistants were aboard. He really is as young as he looks on these stamps and appears to have a long and fruitful ministry ahead of him.
These stamps certainly qualify for religion, Catholic, cardinals, Pope Francis, popes, Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica and Square categories when forming topical or themed collections. Topical collections are very popular among philatelists. Apart from that, the Cardinal Mafi commemoratives are brightly colored and will make a nice addition to your collection, whether you collect by country, by topic or by whatever strikes your fancy.
The Kingdom of Tonga has a population of about 105,000 and is spread over 700,000 square kilometers of the South Pacific Ocean. It’s inhabitants speak Tongan, a Polynesian language; many Tongans are also fluent in English. Both Tongan and English are official languages in the Kingdom. Tongans live on about 40 islands out of a total of some 170 and rely on agriculture, fishing and tourism for their livlihoods.
I’m surprised that stocks of the Cardinal Mafi commemorative stamps are still available at essentially face value a year after their release. Add these to your collection at your favorite stamp dealer, find a stamp dealer or click here to order directly from the official Tongan philatelic agency in the USA.
Pingback: levitra dosage
Pingback: best price for tadalafil 20 mg
Pingback: viagra vs cialis
Pingback: generic viagra for sale
Pingback: side effects for tadalafil
Pingback: 40 mg cialis
Pingback: viagra manufacturer
Pingback: cialis pills price
Pingback: cialis tablets
Pingback: vardenafil vs sildenafil
Pingback: sildenafil 100mg gel
Pingback: snorting gabapentin
Pingback: cialis 10mg dosage
Pingback: levitra drug
Pingback: who makes viagra
Pingback: amlodipine olmesartan
Pingback: atorvastatin classification
Pingback: meloxicam for dogs
Pingback: metoprolol tartrate medication
Pingback: losartan dosage adult
Pingback: no rx viagra
Pingback: generic tadalafil cost
Pingback: levitra tablets uk
Pingback: duloxetine dr
Pingback: prednisone 10mg
Pingback: amitriptyline for pain
Pingback: duloxetine 60 mg
Pingback: hydrochlorothiazide
Pingback: metformin 1000mg tab
Pingback: warnings for mirtazapine
Pingback: wellbutrin 150 mg
Pingback: buspar medicine
Pingback: warnings for citalopram
Pingback: zanaflex sleep
Pingback: bupropion cost
Pingback: voltaren topical
Pingback: what is clonidine
Pingback: side effects for finasteride
Pingback: carvedilol warnings
Pingback: side effects of flagyl
Pingback: tadalafil uses
Pingback: sildenafil otc
Pingback: tadalafil dosage bodybuilding
Pingback: sildenafil cost comparison
Pingback: levitra pricing
Pingback: acyclovir 800 mg
Pingback: over the counter amoxicillin
Pingback: aricept side effects
Pingback: amoxicillin for uti
Pingback: azithromycin for cats
Pingback: side effects of cefdinir
Pingback: what is keflex
Pingback: clindamycin interactions
Pingback: erythromycin tablets for sale
Pingback: zithromax 1g
Pingback: tadalafil gel
Pingback: tadalafil dosage recommendations
Pingback: citrate sildenafil
Pingback: cialis 10 mg
Pingback: viagra without script
Pingback: purchasing cialis in mexico
Pingback: vardenafil buy
Pingback: sildenafil medication
Pingback: cialis price list
Pingback: tadalafil citrate powder
Pingback: average price of viagra
Pingback: generic viagra online
Pingback: viagra cheapest online
Pingback: viagra pro
Pingback: sildenafil pills online
Pingback: women viagra
Pingback: viagra dosage recommendations
Pingback: hydroxychloroquine side effects eye
Pingback: amlodipine benazepril
Pingback: cialis ebay
Pingback: metformin benefits
Pingback: cialis dapoxetine
Pingback: amoxicillin 500mg capsules
Pingback: doxycycline coverage
Pingback: what is furosemide 40
Pingback: xenical 60 mg
Pingback: priligy 30mg price
Pingback: proscar medication
Pingback: bimatoprost sr allergan
Pingback: clomid and iui process
Pingback: fluconazole 150mg brand
Pingback: domperidone fda warning
Pingback: hydroxychloroquine sulfate oval pill
Pingback: drug hydroxychloroquine over the counter
Pingback: hydroxychloroquine buy uk
Pingback: MKsOrb.Com
Pingback: acyclovir mekonis avilar
Pingback: chloroquine and zithromax
Pingback: stromectol 12mg price
Pingback: stromectol for impetigo
Pingback: stromectol 6mg for humans antiparasitic
Pingback: nelpa deltasone price
Pingback: old do you have buy viagra
Pingback: cheap viagra oral jelly pp
Pingback: stromectol dose for scabies
Pingback: ivermectin for heartworm treatment
Pingback: cheap ivermectin
Pingback: zithromax 250 mg over counter
Pingback: viagra buy online no prescription
Pingback: purchase amoxil
Pingback: lasix 3170
Pingback: neurontin 100 mg cap
Pingback: pokies australia
Pingback: plaquenil price us
Pingback: prednisone order
Pingback: avana 164
Pingback: modafinil not working
Pingback: buy ivermectin canada
Pingback: albuterol 0.08
Pingback: zithromax online
Pingback: otc sildenafil
Pingback: 800mg neurontin
Pingback: prednisone 40 mg cost
Pingback: cialis 100mg review
Pingback: avana online
Pingback: ivermectin 3mg tablet
Pingback: zithromax online
Pingback: black cialis c800
Pingback: mexican viagra
Pingback: buy zithromax 250mg online
Pingback: meritkiing
Pingback: elexusbet
Pingback: Eurocasino
Pingback: madridbet
Pingback: meritroyalbet
Pingback: eurocasino
Pingback: eurocasino
Pingback: minocycline 50mg without prescription
Pingback: meritking
Pingback: meritroyalbet
Pingback: cialis forum
Pingback: azithromycin antibiotic class
Pingback: meritroyalbet
Pingback: female viagra 2018
Pingback: tadalafil over counter
Pingback: buy lumigan
Pingback: aralen pill
Pingback: clomid 2016
Pingback: molnupiravir cost
Pingback: baricitinib acr 20
Pingback: cialis shelf life
Pingback: erythromycin
Pingback: erythromycin gonorrhea
Pingback: dosage cephalexin
Pingback: wiki keflex
Pingback: buy ivermectin online
Pingback: ivermectin cost
Pingback: ivermectin brand name
Pingback: flagyl doses
Pingback: flagyl metronidazole
Pingback: ivermectin 6 mg otc
Pingback: generic keflex
Pingback: omnicef med
Pingback: cefdinir used
Pingback: order ivermectin 3 mg online
Pingback: ivermectin 3mg tabs
Pingback: preoperative celecoxib thoracoscopy
Pingback: ivermectin 12mg otc
Pingback: ivermectin 6 mg over the counter
Pingback: meritroyalbet
Pingback: meritking
Pingback: trcasino
Pingback: ivermectin 12 mg pills
Pingback: cheap cialis canada
Pingback: are frontline workers taking hydroxychloroquine
Pingback: child porn