Pope Francis told members of the ordinary council of the Synod of Bishops that he was preparing to publish an encyclical on faith written “with four hands” – his own and those of Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Francis told council members, “The encyclical has to come out and it’s an encyclical written with four hands, so to speak, because Pope Benedict began writing it and he gave it to me.

It’s a strong document. I will say in it that I received it and most of the work was done by him and I completed it.”