2908) The Second Vatican Council - Nostra Aetate (In Our Time), Vatican City State: A €100 Gold Coin minted by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) at their facilities in Rome on behalf of the Treasury Department of the Vatican City State: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023:
In Sanskrit there is a universal Sloka (a couplet of Sanskrit verse):
"Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi".
This is a generic prayer meaning "Let the entire world be happy." or "Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu - Let the People of the world be happy.
The Nostra Aetate (In Our Time) was a step by the Vatican in this direction:
The Header shows the Obverse and Reverse of the 100 Euro Gold Coin against a representation of the theme of Saint Peter’s dream and inspiration from the New Testament (Acts 10:1-33)
Nostra Aetate (In Our Time), the Latin name by which "The Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions" is known, formalised an expanded attitude of dialogue and respect toward the major non-Christian religions of the world - Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam.
Since its promulgation on 25.10.1965, Nostra Aetate has evolved as a result of geopolitical conflicts, which find relations between the various religions and cultures at the axial point of current events.
The Second Vatican Council was converged by Pope Paul VI after having taken part in a historic summit the year previously where he and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Athenagoras, spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church, met in Jerusalem.
The meeting between the leaders of the Catholic and Orthodox Church, for all intents and purposes, ended the schism which existed for almost a thousand years.
It was during this summit of the two sister churches that Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras lifted the mutual excommunications of 1054 in a symbolic gesture representing the desire of both churches to pursue reunion and dialogue.
Pope Benedict XVI called the declaration “the Magna Carta of interreligious dialogue.”
The goals of the Nostra Aetate conference were to explore the ramifications of this vital document, enrich the dialogue, contribute to the scholarship and assess its influence in the modern world.
Of the sixteen documents produced by the Council, Nostra Aetate is the briefest.
Yet it generated passionate discussions, both of a theological and political nature, and generated intense world-wide newspaper coverage.
The document included statements on Catholic-Jewish relations, the condemnation of anti-Semitism, and endeavored to address anti-Jewish manifestations in Christian history that helped give rise to Nazism and the Holocaust.
As the document developed, it was expanded to clarify ideas on the Church’s respect for the spiritual, moral, and cultural values of Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism.
Nostra Aetate stated, “In her task of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among nations, he Catholic Church considers above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship.”
The declaration affirmed that “The Catholic Church rejects nothing which is true and holy in these religions,” but rather looks “with sincere respect upon those ways of conduct and of life, those rules and teachings, which, though differing in many particulars from what she holds and sets forth, nevertheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men.”
A recent Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, signed in Abu Dhabi on 04.02.2019 by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Ahmad el-Tayeb, reflects the continuing promise and progress of interreligious dialogue, especially with Muslims.
This declaration called for “the leaders of the world, as well as the architects of international policy and world economy, to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together in peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood and bring an end to wars, conflicts, environmental decay and the moral and cultural decline that the world is presently experiencing.”
This declaration is a striking example of the call articulated by Nostra Aetate regarding the Church’s relationship not only to Islam, but also to other religions: “This sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.”
The Commemorative Gold Coin:
The Vatican State Mint has issued a €100 gold coin, which is dedicated this year to the Second Vatican Council Declaration, Nostra Aetate, translated from the Latin meaning “In Our Time” and published in 1965.
The theme for this symbolic €100 gold coin is inspired by the story of the centurion Cornelius, the first Roman to convert to Christianity, and Simon Peter, the fisherman, later Saint Peter the Apostle.
The coins have been minted by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) at their facilities in Rome on behalf of the Treasury Department of the Vatican City State.
Orietta Rossi’s design focusses on the theme of Saint Peter’s dream and inspiration from the New Testament (Acts 10:1-33).
On the Reverse of the €100 Gold Coin in the centre of the coin, we see the two standing figures, Simon Peter, the fisherman on the left and the centurion Cornelius, the first Roman to convert to Christianity, on the right.
In the background is a large sheet tied in all four corners with rope and held up by a divine hand from above with all kinds of animals, as revealed in Peter’s vision and in response to God’s order to slaughter and eat them.
On the upper periphery is inscribed the text "CITTA DEL VATICANO". To the lower right of Cornelius is the denomination "100 EURO", and to the lower left of Saint Peter is the text "NOSTRA AETATE".
On the Obverse of the €100 Gold Coin are included common elements of the Papal Crest of Pope Francis, depicting the papal mitre and crossed keys.
Above the crest is the legend "FRANCISCUS PP. A XI MMXXIII" (“Francis Pope and Pontiff year 11 2023”).
The papal motto "MISERANDO ATQUE ELIGENDO" (“by having mercy, by choosing him”) is shown below the crest.
The specifications of the €100 Gold Coin are:
Country of issue: Vatican City State ("CITTA DEL VATICANO"); Year of Coin issue: 2023; Denomination/Face Value: €100 (One Hundred Euro); Metal Composition: .917 Fineness Gold (Au); Weight: 30.00 grams; Diameter/Size: 35.00 mm; Coin Quality: Proof (P); Mint: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) at their facilities in Rome on behalf of the Treasury Department of the Vatican City State; Mintage: 799 pieces; Designer: Orietta Rossi.
- Each Proof coin is individually encapsulated and presented in a Vatican City State Mint branded custom case accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
7) Michelangelo's "Pieta", Vatican City: New Copper Coin Series titled "Art and Faithy": A 10 Euro Copper Coin minted by the "Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato" (IPZS) on behalf of the "Ufficio Filatelico e Numismatico Governatorato della Cotta del Vaticano": Coin issue date: 05.03.2020
8) Ancient Postal Routes, Vatican City State: EUROPA 2020 Theme: Two stamps of 1.10 Euro and 1.15 Euro issued by the Ufficio filatelico e Numismatico -Governatorato, Vaticano featuring Ancient Postal Routes emanating from the Vatican City State during the 6th & 11th Centuries AD
Santosh Khanna has commented:
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DeleteRajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Wonderful post 👍"
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