Vatican press office denies rumor that Pope's encyclical on environment has been postponed

May 14, 2015

The Vatican has dismissed a rumor that publication of the encyclical by Pope Francis on the environment has been postponed.

The encyclical remains scheduled for publication in June, reports Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register. Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, told Pentin that “there has not been, and there isn’t, any delay compared to what was expected.”

Father Lombardi went on to say that no precise date has yet been set for the appearance of the long-awaited papal document. In late March, the Vatican press office said that the encyclical was near completion, and would probably be released before the onset of the summer months. Rumors that the encyclical would be delayed arose after Sandro Magister, the influential Vatican-watcher for L’Espresso, reported that the Pope had “trashed” a draft of the document, which had reportedly been prepared by Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández. In an article that was highly critical of Archbishop Manuel Fernandez, Magister said that the draft, which the Pope received in March, would have been “demolished” by Cardinal Gerhard Müller and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Father Lombardi said that it would be routine for an encyclical to be reviewed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and some changes might be made as a result of that view. However he said that he was not aware of any problems that would delay the appearance of the document.

 

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Further information:

• Father Lombardi: Eco-Encyclical on Track for Expected June Publication (National Catholic Register)
• E questo sarebbe il teologo di fiducia del papa? (L’Espresso)
• Encyclical on environment nearly finished, Vatican spokesman reveals (CWN 3/24)