Pope Benedict's first encyclical Coming Soon...

Thanks to Fr Shane for this one!
October 24, 2005

Pope Benedict's first encyclical due
in Dec-source

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict has written his first encyclical, the
highest form of papal writing addressed to all members of the Roman Catholic
Church, a Vatican source said on Monday.

The source said the encyclical, which is expected to be published before the
end of the year, deals with one's personal relationship with God.

The work is just under 50 pages long and will probably be published to coincide
with the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, the source said.

Pope Benedict holds his pastoral staff during a mass for the canonisation of five new saints in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican October 23, 2005. (REUTERS/Tony Gentile)

The source said the encyclical, written in the Pope's native German, was
already in the hands of teams of translators.

Benedict, who was elected in April, told a Polish television interviewer earlier
this month that he would write much less than his predecessor John Paul, who
wrote 14 encyclicals and dozens of other major documents.

John Paul's encyclicals were divided into two main categories -- strictly religious
issues and social issues.

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