Rorate Caeli

Papal Letter to Chinese Catholics: some details

Korazym brings details of the letter to the Catholics of China to be released by the Holy See in the next few weeks (maybe "even next week"):

-It will be released in the format of a simple "Letter", named "Letter of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Bishops, the clergy, and the faithful of the Church in China" (even though there have been several encyclicals sent to specific nations in the History of Pontifical Documents, that has not been the use in recent pontificates, and the names "Encyclical" and "Apostolic Letter" will not be used);

-Its original draft was apparently written in Italian;

-The Italian version will have 28 pages;

-The letter will be published in Chinese and Italian, as well as in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and French

-The text includes a historical retrospective of the past five decades of Catholic events in China, including a reference to two past encyclicals.

We would add that the Letter to Chinese Catholics is not only itself very relevant, but that it also is, apparently, an important temporal reference point for future events.