In anticipation of the publication of Pope Leo’s first encyclical, check out this essay I wrote prior to the release of Pope Francis’s Laudato Si in 2015! It’s about how the release of important Church documents (and events like the Synod) has become a media event, and anticipatory commentary shapes our reading of the document (and even the writing of the document!).

As you’ll see, it’s also a good reminder that early reporting on the name of Church documents is sometimes wrong…

Enjoy!