1000 Francs CFA Canonization Day of Four Popes

The canonization ceremony of April 27, 2014 was itself a historical anomaly — two living popes present for the elevation of two of their predecessors, John XXIII and John Paul II, in a single rite. Benedict XVI attended as pope emeritus alongside Francis, a combination without modern precedent. Benin's commemorative program routinely targets exactly this kind of one-off Catholic event, issuing silver rounds through licensing arrangements that have no connection to local religious demographics — Benin's population is majority Christian but the series is frankly collector-directed from the outset.