Full text of "Spe Salvi", Encyclical Letter of Pope Benedict XVI

The full text of the encyclical Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope) has been released on the Vatican website:

ENCYCLICAL LETTER

SPE SALVI

OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF

BENEDICT XVI

TO THE BISHOPS

PRIESTS AND DEACONS

MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS

AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL

ON CHRISTIAN HOPE

• In case the Vatican website is slow, I've created a word document of the text and uploaded it here. CNA has published the text here. Zenit here (and PDF here). Reuters has published the excerpts it likes here.

Reuters coverage: "New Papal encylical blasts atheism, promises hope". CNA has coverage here.

John Allen has published his commentary here. More commentaries as I find them.

Udate: From today's Vatican bulletino:

• FIRM HOPE IS NECESSARY FOR FACING DIFFICULTIES
• SPE SALVI, THE POPE'S ENCYCLICAL ON CHRISTIAN HOPE

Update 2: CNS: "People need God to have hope, pope says in new encyclical" & Sandro Magister here.

I'll be printing out the encyclical today and reading the text over the weekend.

What a wonderful way to prepare for Advent!

[photo: REUTERS/Osservatore Romano (VATICAN)]