A leading Vatican official said two important documents from Pope Benedict XVI -- a letter to Chinese Catholics and a decree liberalizing use of the Tridentine Mass -- were coming soon.Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, told the Italian newspaper Avvenire June 3 that the pope had "definitively approved" the text of his letter to the church in China.
"Now the various translations are being carried out, along with the technical aspects of its publication," Cardinal Bertone said.
Vatican sources have said that, as a courtesy, the letter would be sent to the Chinese government before it was released publicly.
The letter follows a meeting at the Vatican in January on the state of Catholics in China.As for the document granting wider latitude for celebration of the Tridentine rite, Cardinal Bertone said that "one shouldn't have to wait long to see it published."
The cardinal said the pope was "personally interested in making this happen" and that the pontiff had prepared an accompanying letter explaining the move and expressing the hope for a serene reception by the church.
In the interview, Cardinal Bertone also commented on Pope Benedict's recent remarks to reporters about the possible excommunication of Catholic politicians who support legislation to make abortion legal.
"It seems clear to me that the pope recalled that it is up to individual bishops to establish whether and when to impose excommunication," Cardinal Bertone said.
The cardinal added that in the case of Catholic politicians, such a penalty would be carried out "ferendae sententiae" -- imposed by the judgment of a church court or authority -- rather than automatically incurred.
Cardinal Bertone was apparently distinguishing the situation of Catholic politicians from that of people directly involved in procuring abortion, for which the penalty is automatic excommunication.
The pope, when asked if he agreed with the excommunication of Catholic legislators in Mexico who had supported a law legalizing abortion, said yes and added that church law foresaw such a penalty.
The Vatican issued a toned-down transcript of the pope's remarks the next day, changing some of his words.
In the interview, Cardinal Bertone defended the practice of modifying the "official" version of papal remarks.
"There's nothing scandalous in this," Cardinal Bertone said. He compared it to the publication of the "editio typica," or definitive edition, of papal documents, which he said is sometimes changed to be more precise than an earlier version.
Cardinal Bertone's office routinely modifies the texts of extemporaneous papal comments, Vatican officials have said.
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