Vatican City Pope Benedict XVI 20 Euro Cent

History

20 Euro Cent 2006-2007, KM# 379, Vatican City, Pope Benedict XVI

Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com

Description

Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Alois Ratzinger (1927-2022), led the Catholic Church and the Vatican City State from April 19, 2005, to February 28, 2013. Known for advocating traditional Catholic values, promoting Latin and the Tridentine Mass, and countering secularization, his papacy also faced criticism for handling sexual abuse cases and opposing condom use in HIV-prevalent areas. Benedict resigned in 2013 due to advanced age, the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years, and was succeeded by Pope Francis. He spent his retirement in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City, holding the unique title of "Pope Emeritus."

Obverse	Person (religious figure) Pope Benedict XVI The three-quarters portrait of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is encircled by the inscription "CITTA' DEL VATICANO" (Vatican City), date, mint mark (R, Rome) and the twelve stars of Europe. Artist: Daniela Longo (D.L.) Engraver: Maria Angela Cassol (M.C.C. INC.) R D. L. MAC INC. CITTA' DEL VATICANO • 2006
Reverse	Geography & astronomy Map A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the left side of the coin. 12 stars are located on the left side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments. Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “0” in “20.” 20 LL EURO CENT
Edge	Indented A smooth edge separated into equal sections by seven indents (Spanish flower)