Vatican · VII World Meeting of Families

Issue date16 Oct 2012

Total mintage103,000

EU maximum115,000

Editions3

Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted

InscriptionVII INCONTRO MONDIALE DELLE FAMIGLIE / CITTÁ DEL VATICANO / 2012 / G. TITOTTO / LDS Inc / R

DesignerGabriella Titotto (Luciana De Simoni)

mintInstituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato, Roma

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin is dedicated to the 7th World Meeting of Families. The design shows a family in front of Milan Cathedral, surrounded by the semicircular inscription “VII INCONTRO MONDIALE DELLE FAMIGLIE” and supplemented by “CITTÁ DEL VATICANO”.

The design

The inner coin ring depicts a family in front of Milan Cathedral. Arranged in a semicircle around the motif is the inscription “VII INCONTRO MONDIALE DELLE FAMIGLIE”, supplemented at the upper right by the name of the issuing country (“CITTÁ DEL VATICANO”). The year 2012 is indicated on the right side of the coin motif; on the left, the artist’s name (“G. TITOTTO”) and, behind it, the engraver’s initials (“LDS Inc”) can be seen. At the bottom of the coin motif, between the mother and child, the mintmark “R” is visible.

The outer coin ring depicts the twelve stars of the European flag.

Background on the topic

The World Meeting of Families (Weltfamilientage) is an international gathering of the Roman Catholic Church. It goes back to Pope John Paul II and was first held in Rome in 1994. They generally take place every three years in changing cities. The programme includes theological and pastoral congresses, discussions with families, prayers and large religious services. The 2012 meeting was organised jointly by the then Pontifical Council for the Family (Päpstlichen Rat für die Familie) and the Archdiocese of Milan (Erzbistum Mailand).

The event in Milan took place from 30 May to 3 June 2012. Its motto was “The Family: Work and Celebration”. The central question was how paid work, family life, recreation and religious observance can be combined. The burdens arising from unemployment, economic uncertainty, time pressure or the difficult reconciliation of work and family life were also addressed.

Pope Benedict XVI took part in the final days of the meeting. The central events included a meeting with families and the closing Mass on the grounds of Bresso Airport (Flughafen Bresso) north of Milan. The World Meeting of Families was therefore not only an internal church conference, but also a public gathering of Catholic families from numerous countries.

The Milan Cathedral (Mailänder Dom) refers to the venue and its ecclesiastical centre. The cathedral is dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente and is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Milan (Erzbistum Mailand). Its construction began in the late 14th century and continued over several centuries. The combination of the depiction of a family and the cathedral thus places the theme of the meeting in a specific urban and ecclesiastical context at the same time.

The choice of the occasion for a Vatican commemorative coin is explained by the meeting’s close connection with the Pope and the Catholic Church’s family pastoral ministry. The coin commemorated an international church event of the year of issue in which the head of the Church personally took part.