It's official (finally): Jan. 25

Pope Benedict has announced that the Encyclical will be published January 25th. I love the part about B16 "gently acknowledg[ing] the intense media speculation" ... yeah, just a little bit.

Anyway:

Pope Benedict XVI today ended speculation about the publication date for his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, by announcing at his regular weekly public audience that the document will be released on January 25.

Speaking to 8,000 people in the Paul VI auditorium, the Holy Father drew applause with his announcement. He gently acknowledged the intense media speculation about the document-- which has reportedly been delayed by revisions and difficulties with translations-- by saying that the encyclical would "finally" appear in one week.

Read more.

And, as per usual, Rocco has some exclusive content (the Pope's ad-lib comments on the Encyclical).