Almighty error! Pope misspells Jesus
OF all the mistakes to make on a tribute to the first year of Pope Francis’s reign, this must count as the worst.
On the official medals commissioned by the Vatican and struck by the Italian State Mint, the name Jesus has been misspelt Lesus.
Around 6,000 have had to be withdrawn because of the faulty inscription in the Pope’s motto.
The blunder was spotted soon after the medals went on sale on Tuesday and only four were sold. Experts predict that these will soar in value because of their rarity.
Available in gold, silver, and bronze, they bear a phrase from the Venerable Bede on the calling of Matthew the Apostle. It is also seen on the Pope’s coat of arms and is said to have inspired him as a teenager in 1953 to follow God.
It says in Latin, ‘Vidit ergo Jesus publicanum et quia miserando antque eligendo vidit, ait illi sequere me’ meaning, ‘Jesus saw the tax collector, and by having mercy chose him as an apostle, saying “follow me”.’
It is in this that the word Jesus is spelt Lesus. The text surrounds an i mpression of Jesus summoning Matthew.
The reverse features a portrait of the 76-year-old Argentine Pope surrounded by the inscription ‘Franciscus Pont. Max. An. I’.
The medals are sold only through official sources. All are numbered and come with a certificate of authenticity.