Portuguese India – Holy Year

Five years after the end of World War II, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Holy Year of 1950 with the Bull “Jubilaeum Maximum” on May 26, 1949. It began on Christmas Eve 1949 and concluded on Christmas 1950, marking a time of penance and prayer for the return to Christ. A Holy Year, or Jubilee, is a special year of grace in the Catholic Church during which the faithful are granted opportunities for pilgrimage, indulgences, and spiritual renewal.

Pope Pius XII inaugurated the Holy Year on December 24, 1949, by opening the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, a traditional rite symbolising the entry into God’s grace. Similar doors in Rome’s other three major basilicas (St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and Santa Maria Maggiore) were also opened. Catholics were urged to make pilgrimages to Rome and receive indulgences. The main theme was spiritual renewal and rebuilding faith after the devastation of World War II and to encourage reconciliation, peace, and unity among nations.

A set of two stamps were issued in 1950 to announce the Holy Year in 1951. This was done as per the directive number 13164, dated 15th May 1950. João Araújo designed the stamps and the printing was done at Litografia Portugal, Lisboa.