Vatican Secretary of State Tarciscio Bertone announced that the pope will sign the document next week, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Bertone did not say when the encyclical will be published.

The pope wrote the encyclical during the summer. He is reportedly working on a third, which will explore social themes.

Benedict's first encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est" or "God Is Love," was signed on Dec. 25, 2005, and published within a month. In it, he explored the relationship between eros or romantic and sexual love and agape or spiritual love.

John Paul II" title="Topic: Pope John Paul II" class="tpstyle">Pope John Paul II published 14 encyclicals in 27 years.