Pope Francis is changing numerous traditions but probably not many imagined him becoming the icon of a sticker album. The so-called “Album della Gioia” , a publishing project by Officina Comunicazione Srl, a marketing and public relations company based in Modena, is on sale on newsstands throughout Rome and is selling fast.

Around the Largo Argentina area in the historic centre some newsstands only have the stickers left, others only the album and no stickers. However one newsstand said it had decided not to sell either for “ideological” reasons.

The album, with background photos of the life of Pope Francis, his first appearance on the balcony of St Peter’s and the inaugural Mass, costs €2.50 and each packet of stickers costs 60 cents. There are five stickers in a packet and 400 are needed to fill the album.

Sticker albums are usually dedicated to sports personalities, cartoon characters and pop stars.

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