First Encyclical will Carrry Christmas Date

"God is Love" (based on the First Letter of John...which is interesting in and of itself...read it and you'll see why).

From Pope to Publish First Encyclical:

"Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told the ANSA and Apcom news agencies that the encyclical will carry the date of Dec. 25, 2005. It will be called 'Deus, Caritas Est,' and will have the Italian title of 'Dio E' Amore,' ('God is Love'), according to Apcom and other Italian news reports.

'The decision to make it public in January is due to the fact that the pope will release important documents over this period,' Navarro-Valls was quoted as saying by Apcom."