Pope Francis is about to finish a new encyclical on ecology and the environment, according to Vatican sources. The pontiff hopes to publish the eagerly awaited encyclical in June or July.
Pope Francis is about to complete an eagerly awaited new encyclical on ecology and the environment, according to Vatican sources. Climate change, the possible causes of global warming, and the role that Christians need to play in the future of global warming are said to be among its themes.
Francis will cancel all engagements for a week except his general audience on Wednesday and Friday Vespers to allow him to work intensively on the document, the sources said.
The pontiff hopes to publish the encyclical in June or July after finishing drafting the document at the end of March, he told journalists travelling with him on his visit to the Philippines in January.
Ghana's Cardinal Turkson and his aides prepared a first draft of the document, which Francis edited. The pontiff then worked on a third draft with theologians and sent a copies of this to the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog and other Vatican bodies, Francis said.
The first encyclical to be issued by Francis, 'Lumen Fidei', was begun by his predecessor Benedict XVI and published on 29 June, 2013. It centred on the theme of religious faith.
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