An official medal to commemorate the first year of Pope Francis’s reign has gone on sale with a spelling mistake in Jesus’s name.
The medal, commissioned by the Vatican, spells the son of God’s name ‘Lesus’.
Created by the Italian State Mint, the coin features the Pope’s motto as seen on his coat of arms.
In Latin, it says: ‘Vidit ergo Jesus publicanum et quia miserando antque eligendo vidit, ait illi sequere me’.
This means: ‘Jesus therefore sees the tax collector, and since he sees by having mercy and by choosing, he says to him, follow me’.
The words come from the passage that moved the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio to follow God.
The Vatican have recalled the medallions from sale after the spelling error was pointed out.
The official press office said that only four had been sold, which they claimed will probably be of value in the future because of their rarity.
The medals are sold only through official sources with just 400 sets offered for sale, as well as 200 gold coins, 3,000 silver, and 3,000 bronzed.
All are numbered and come with a certificate of authenticity from the Vatican Secretariat of State.