Centenary of Diplomatic Relations Holy See and Panama

The stamp issued by the Vatican to commemorate the centenary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Panama features, alongside the national flags, two symbolic images representing the two nations: the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica and a scenic view that ideally links the Panama Canal with depictions of both sunrise and sunset—visible respectively over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans only in this part of the world. Among the key historical events—both ancient and recent—that have shaped the relationship between the two States, two stand out in particular: World Youth Day 2019 and the establishment, in 1513, of the Diocese of Santa María la Antigua, the first diocese on the mainland of the American continent. Pope Francis expressed his positive impression of the mutual respect between the Afro-Panamanian and Indigenous populations. A similar sentiment had been expressed years earlier by Pope Benedict XVI, who noted that Panama’s national identity “has been forged over the centuries as a mosaic of ethnic groups, peoples, and cultures”.