The Vatican this week unveiled a commemorative stamp to mark four decades of diplomatic relations with the United States. 

The two nations first announced diplomatic relations on Jan. 10, 1984. The U.S. Senate subsequently confirmed diplomat William Wilson as the first U.S. ambassador to the Holy See; he had previously served as then-President Ronald Reagan’s personal envoy to the pope. Wilson would serve as ambassador until 1986. 

The Vatican likewise named Archbishop Pio Laghi as the first apostolic pro-nuncio of the Holy See to the U.S.; he would serve in that role until 1990. 

In unveiling the stamp on Monday, Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, the president of the governorate of Vatican City State, said the commemoration was “a sign of the attention and importance that the Holy See and the Vatican City State attach to these diplomatic relations.”

“In fact, entrusting a stamp with the celebration of an event is like making a small art object that will go around the world and convey the message entrusted to it as a sort of manifesto,” the prelate said. 

Alzaga noted that U.S.-Vatican diplomatic relations extend back to 1788, when George Washington allowed that the Holy See could freely appoint bishops in the newly minted country. 

“Since then, a long road has been traveled that has made it possible to arrive at the full diplomatic relations that we enjoy today, at the basis of which there are some common principles, such as the sharing of values and the spirit of goodwill,” the cardinal said. 

Laura Hochla, the deputy chief of mission at the Vatican embassy, said at the unveiling that the stamp symbolizes “the long friendship and close collaboration that unites our two countries.”

“The protection of human rights, the promotion of social justice, and the protection of the rights of vulnerable populations are the basis of this relationship of cooperation, a relationship that is increasingly strong,” she said.

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.