The coin shows the Pope smiling, arms outstretched in his characteristic greeting. He wears a cassock with a fascia bearing his pontifical coat of arms, along with his cape and cloak.
A Western Europe map spans the coin's right side, with "2 EURO" overlaid—the "2" in the Atlantic. Twelve stars flank the map, six above and six below, connected by six vertical stripes across the inner core.