Vatican City, Aug 31, 2010 / 08:10 am
Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi announced on Tuesday that a German journalist has been given permission to publish a series of his conversations with the Holy Father. In the book, to be released by the end of the year, it is expected that the Pope will share his side of the story on the subjects of sex abuse, AIDS in Africa and the lifting of the excommunication of the Society of St. Pius X bishops.
Journalist Dr. Peter Seewald previously published two collections of interviews with then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger when he was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Permission to publish was granted the week of July 26 at the Pope's summer residence in Castel Gandolfo while the interviews – conducted in German – took place.
Seewald's two books, which resulted from interviews with then-Cardinal Ratzinger, are titled ‘Salt of the Earth’ from 1996 and ‘God and the World’ published in 2002.
Fr. Lombardi announced that the new series of conversations is slated for publication before the end of the year in both German and Italian.