52ND INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

Magyar Posta is issuing special souvenir sheets to mark holding the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest. The stamp was designed by the graphic artist István Weisenburger. 50,000 copies were produced by ANY Security Printing Company in the standard edition and a further 10,000 as a special edition with gold-coloured ink. The two souvenir sheets may also be purchased as an exclusive stamp set.

The 52nd International Eucharistic Congress is being held in Budapest between 5 and 12 September 2021 and Pope Francis will participate in the Mass concluding the event. The congress, held every four years in a different location, has a motto announced in advance for each occasion, which for the Budapest event is “All my springs are in you” (Psalms 87:7). The International Eucharistic Congress was last held in Hungary in 1938, on the 900th anniversary of the death of Saint Stephen. In the logo of the congress, the host and the chalice symbolise the Eucharist. The cross that can be seen on the host refers to the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist and Calvary. The quotation from Psalms “All my springs are in you” is represented by the spring coming from the Eucharist. The water with the four lines symbolises the spread of the good news perpetuated for us by the four evangelists. The spring flows into a river, which is indicated by the wave below. This wave refers to the activity of the Church spreading the good news and to the river flowing through Budapest, the Danube, which connects several European countries, just like the Eucharist connects European Christianity with different languages and cultures as a common source, and thus is a source of reconciliation. The four rivers flowing from the spring also represent the four points of the compass.
The emblem on the numbered souvenir sheet symbolises a palm offering the sacramental bread, expressing that God turns towards humanity with love. The small hands reaching towards the sacramental bread represent the people who long for this love. The large heart behind the hand encapsulates this love for each other. The main motif of the first day cover and the postmark is the logo of the congress. The exclusive stamp set includes the black numbered standard edition and the red numbered special edition adorned with gold coloured ink.