THIRD BOOK OF JOSEPH RATZINGER - BENEDICT XVI TO BE PUBLISHED AT CHRISTMAS

Vatican City,  (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Vatican Publishing House and the Italian publishers Rizzoli signed an agreement concerning the publication of Benedict XVI's latest book about the infancy of Jesus in the Gospels.

The Vatican Publishing House gives Rizzoli the mandate to to sell the rights to the work throughout the world. In Italy the book is due to appear at Christmas and will be published as a joint edition of the Vatican Publishing House and Rizzoli. The German edition is to be published by Herder which has previously published the books of Joseph Ratzinger. Work is continuing on translations into the major languages. The definitive title has not yet been made public.

Joseph Ratzinger - Benedict XVI has focused his research and his work on making known the "person and the message of Jesus".

This new and much awaited volume on the figure of Jesus in the Gospel narratives of His infancy completes the two previous volumes and is of great theological and academic importance. The earlier works are entitled "Jesus of Nazareth" and "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week".