Today in Postal History
Iraq to Vatican City
October 6, 1940
This cover was mailed
from Mosul.
Mosul is in northern Iraq a little
more
than 100 km from both the
Turkish border on the north and the Syrian border on the northwest.
Unfortunately, it is a place which has gotten a lot of publicity
recently.
There are two Mosul CDS.
The letter also bears a
censor's tape seal in
Arabic on the right
and bears a red censor's handstamp in Arabic on the rear.
The letter is addressed to Cardinal Eugène Tisserant in the
Vatican heirarchy.
Cardinal Tisserant was a
critic of Papal policy
with regard to the Fascists.
He was also instrumental in helping French Jews during the puppet
government of Pètain.
There is a double rimmed
blue hand stamped seal
on the
flap
of theCHALDEAN
PATRIARCAL SEE OF BABYLON.
The Chaldeans had been an independent Christian church for centuries
until they became associated with the Catholic Church in 1830.
This was the Catholic organization in Iraq.
The Chaldean patriarch resides habitually at
Mosul.
The cover arrived at its
destination on October 17
per the CITTÀ DEL VATICANO*
receiver
on the reverse.
The cover is franked
with pairs of the
1934-38
King Ghazi series 2 fil ultramarine and 8 fil deep red.
*Thanks to Paulo
Bagaglio for his help in getting
the
Vatican CDS corrected.
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