Ukraine’s central bank will issue a commemorative coin honoring Pope John Paul II in 2026, marking 25 years since the Polish-born pontiff’s landmark pilgrimage to the country.
Announcement details
The National Bank of Ukraine announced the plan Aug. 7, with the concept unveiled by NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyi and Andriy Yurash, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See. Officials said design work is just beginning, so specifics about the coin’s denomination, mintage size and appearance have not been finalized, though the bank confirmed the coin will enter circulation before the end of 2026.
Marking a historic 1998 papal visit
The coin commemorates John Paul II’s June 23-27, 2001, pilgrimage to Ukraine, when he visited Kyiv and Lviv just a decade after the country regained independence. During his first address in Kyiv, the pope described himself as a friend of the Ukrainian people and spoke of the nation’s distinct European calling, positioned between East and West. Pyshnyi said the pontiff recognized Ukraine at the time not as a country caught between rival powers, but as a European nation with its own culture, history and the right to determine its future.
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Symbol of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation
The National Bank of Ukraine said the coin will also reference John Paul II’s 2003 message urging Poles and Ukrainians not to remain prisoners of painful shared history. The pope called on both nations to acknowledge past wrongs, forgive one another and seek forgiveness, without erasing historical memory, so future generations would not inherit mutual hostility. Pyshnyi called John Paul II one of the great moral leaders of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation and friendship.
Four core values represented
The central bank identified four values the coin is meant to embody: freedom, reconciliation, responsibility for historical memory and European unity. Yurash said the decision reflects Ukraine’s special regard for the pope’s intellectual and spiritual legacy, which he said remains a relevant point of reference for the country today. The bank has not yet revealed the coin’s material, denomination or final design, saying those details will come later in development.
Building on prior coin cooperation
This is not the first joint numismatic project between Poland and Ukraine. In 2023, the National Bank of Poland and the National Bank of Ukraine jointly issued a set of silver coins titled “Friendship and brotherhood are the greatest wealth,” featuring a Polish 10-zloty coin and a Ukrainian 10-hryvnia coin that formed a heart shape when combined.
That 2023 set, limited to 10,000 pairs made of 999 silver, honored solidarity between the two nations following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The National Bank of Ukraine said the new John Paul II coin will continue that theme while reaching deeper into the historical foundations of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation.
What comes next
Artists, sculptors and specialists from Ukraine’s national mint and banknote printing works will now begin developing the coin’s design, which remains undetermined. Officials have not set a specific release date beyond the general 2026 target, and further announcements on denomination and mintage are expected as the project progresses.
