Benedict's spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters that such edits are common. "Every time the pope speaks off the cuff, the Secretariat of State reviews and cleans up his remarks," he said.
So it's the Vatican's Secretariat of State that is infallible. Glad we cleared THAT up...
Vatican Seeks to Clarify Abortion Remarks
Edited Transcript Alters Answer on Excommunication
By Victor L. Simpson
Associated Press
Friday, May 11, 2007; A16
SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Pope Benedict XVI caused such a stir with his comments on the excommunication of lawmakers who vote in favor of legalizing abortion that the Vatican released a transcript Thursday changing what the pontiff said.
While Benedict met with Brazil's president, and thousands of Roman Catholics streamed toward a soccer stadium for an evening youth rally, the Vatican released a new transcript that seemed to roll back the pope's comments from a day earlier.
Asked during an in-flight news conference Wednesday if legislators who legalized abortion in Mexico City should rightfully be considered excommunicated, Benedict replied, "Yes."
"The excommunication was not something arbitrary. It is part of the code," the pope said, referring to canon law.
On Thursday, the Vatican issued a slightly edited transcript that dropped the word "yes" in the pope's response. Several other changes made his remarks seem a more general statement, rather than referring specifically to Mexican bishops who had said the politicians had excommunicated themselves.
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