Pope Francis' first encyclical, Lumen fidei (The Light of Faith), will be published July 5.
Pope Francis' first encyclical, Lumen fidei (The Light of Faith), will be published July 5. CNS photo/Paul Haring

Pope Francis' first encyclical to be published July 5

By  Francis X. Rocca, Catholic News Service
  • July 2, 2013

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis' first encyclical, which he has said is largely the work of retired Pope Benedict XVI, will be published July 5.

The Vatican announced July 1 that Lumen fidei (The Light of Faith) will be presented at a news conference featuring Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation of Bishops; Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.

An encyclical on faith was long expected as the last volume in Pope Benedict's trilogy on the three "theological virtues," following his encyclicals Deus Caritas Est (2005) on charity, and Spe Salvi (2007) on hope.

In June, Pope Francis told bishops meeting in Rome that his first encyclical would be largely the work of his predecessor.

"It's an encyclical written with four hands, so to speak, because Pope Benedict began writing it and he gave it to me," Pope Francis said. "It's a strong document. I will say in it that I received it and most of the work was done by him and I completed it."

More in this category: « Director, deputy director of Vatican bank resign Catholic parish mourns loss of one of its own in Arizona fire »

Please support The Catholic Register

Unlike many media companies, The Catholic Register has never charged readers for access to the news and information on our website. We want to keep our award-winning journalism as widely available as possible. But we need your help.

For more than 125 years, The Register has been a trusted source of faith-based journalism. By making even a small donation you help ensure our future as an important voice in the Catholic Church. If you support the mission of Catholic journalism, please donate today. Thank you.

DONATE