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Ukraine to Honor Pope John Paul II With Commemorative Coin Marking 25 Years Since Historic Visit
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The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) will issue a commemorative coin in 2026 honoring Pope John Paul II and marking the 25th anniversary of his historic Apostolic visit to Ukraine, the central bank announced on August 7.
The initiative was presented at the National Bank of Ukraine by the NBU Governor Andrii Pyshnyy and Ukraine's Ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, according to UNITED24 Media correspondent.
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According to the central bank, work on the commemorative coin has already begun, with its release scheduled for 2026. Details regarding the coin's design, denomination, mintage, and official presentation will be announced at a later date.
John Paul II visited Ukraine from June 23 to 27, 2001. During his first address in Kyiv, he described himself as a friend of the Ukrainian people, spoke about Ukraine's unique position between East and West, and declared that “Ukraine has a clearly defined European vocation.”
The NBU also recalled the late pontiff's 2003 appeal to Ukrainians and Poles, in which he urged both nations not to remain prisoners of painful historical memories, but instead to acknowledge past mistakes, forgive one another, and seek forgiveness for their own wrongdoings.
“Today we are presenting the decision to preserve in metal the memory of a person and the ideas that, twenty-five years after his visit, remain profoundly relevant for Ukraine. Freedom. Dignity. Ukraine's European vocation. The ability of nations with a difficult shared history not to remain hostage to it, but to build a common future,” NBU Governor Andrii Pyshnyy said.
The commemorative coin continues the National Bank's numismatic tradition highlighting Ukrainian-Polish solidarity. In 2023, the NBU and the Narodowy Bank Polski jointly issued a set of silver commemorative coins titled Friendship and Brotherhood Are the Greatest Wealth, dedicated to the partnership between the two countries and Poland's support for Ukraine following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
According to the NBU, the new coin dedicated to John Paul II will expand on that theme in a broader historical context, serving as a symbol of freedom, reconciliation, responsibility for historical memory, and European unity.
“This is an extremely important decision that confirms a personal commitment both to the figure of Saint John Paul II himself and to the entire intellectual and spiritual legacy in which he unquestionably remains the greatest figure. A figure who, through the fulfillment of his mission, continues to shape priorities for the entire world, and for Ukraine in particular,” Ambassador Andrii Yurash said.
The announcement comes as Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the proposal to intercept Russian missiles before they leave Ukrainian airspace should be carefully examined and should not become a subject of domestic political contention.
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