500 Lei The Apostolic journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to Romania

Pope Francis visited Romania in late May and early June 2019 — the first papal visit to the country since John Paul II's historically significant trip in 1999, which was itself the first ever by a reigning pope to a majority Orthodox nation. Romania's population is roughly 85% Eastern Orthodox, making the Catholic Church's relationship with the Romanian state and the Romanian Orthodox Church a recurring point of diplomatic sensitivity. The 2019 visit included a beatification ceremony for seven Greek-Catholic bishops martyred under communist rule.

The National Bank of Romania issued this coin under its collector bullion program, which routinely commemorates significant national and international events. One troy ounce of .999 fine gold.