VATICAN CITY, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The Vatican unveiled a new postage stamp on Thursday honouring Ukraine's Catholics, with the design showing their cathedral in Kyiv during a blackout in an unusually pointed reference to the daily struggles of Ukrainians in wartime.
While the Vatican Postal Service frequently issues stamps to mark Catholic holidays or honour national Churches, it usually avoids any political references in its designs, preferring depictions of religious figures such as local saints.
The new stamp, issued in the week that marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion, depicts Kyiv's Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ darkened by a lack of electricity but illuminated from behind with the orange glow of an evening sky.
Blackouts have become a common experience across Ukraine as Russia targets the electricity grid, power stations and other energy infrastructure with missiles and drones.
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, leader of Ukraine's four million Eastern-rite Catholics, said at a Vatican event for the unveiling that the release of the stamp represented "a great moment of consolation".
"We really feel embraced by the Holy See for this particular attention to our history, to our life in this tragic moment of war," Shevchuk said, speaking Italian.
The Vatican stamp was released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Kyiv's Catholic diocese after the fall of the Soviet Union and the 12th anniversary of the cathedral's construction.
'CENTRE OF RESISTANCE'
The cathedral has also served as a bomb shelter during the war. Shevchuk called it a "centre of resistance".
Around 10% of Ukrainians belong to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which follows Eastern rites but recognises the authority of the pope and is in communion with Rome. A majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Orthodox.
Pope Leo made an impassioned appeal on Sunday for peace in Ukraine, saying an end to the war with Russia "cannot be postponed". The U.S. is trying to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv but so far without success.
Tens of thousands of tourists visit the Vatican daily. Many buy stamps at Vatican post office branches, including in St. Peter's Square, often to send postcards home.
The new stamp carries a value of 1.35 euros ($1.60), the cost of delivery of a regular-size letter to destinations across Europe. The Vatican, a tiny sovereign state within Rome, has maintained an independent postal service since 1929.
($1 = 0.8472 euros)
(Reporting by Joshua McElweeEditing by Gareth Jones)
