"VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis' eagerly awaited environment encyclical will be published June 18.

The Vatican took the unusual step Thursday of announcing the release date in advance "to avoid confusion over the diffusion of unconfirmed information."

No papal document in recent times has elicited as much anticipation and anxiety as Francis' encyclical. The Vatican has helped fuel interest by mounting an unprecedented roll-out, featuring conferences, speeches and book launches tied to it."

The Associated Press had the story June 4, 2015. [2]