1500 Francs CFA Canonization John XXIII

John XXIII was canonized on April 27, 2014, alongside John Paul II — the first time in modern history two popes were declared saints simultaneously. Burkina Faso, like several small West African states, has issued commemorative coinage through external licensing arrangements, and pieces of this type are produced for the collector market rather than domestic circulation. The country has no meaningful distribution infrastructure for such issues locally.

John XXIII died in 1963; his canonization came over fifty years later, delayed in part because the Vatican's verification process required a confirmed second miracle, which was not formally recognized until 2013.