The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI has finished writing the second installment on the life of Jesus Christ, though it will be several months before the volume hits bookstores.
A Vatican statement Monday said the work focuses on the passion and resurrection of Jesus.
The first installment, which offered a personal meditation on the life and teachings of Jesus, went on sale in 2007 and became a best-seller.
The Vatican says the new text has been given to both a publisher in Germany and the official Vatican publisher, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, which will provide other publishers with the text for translation from the pope's original German.
The book's release will take a few months because the Vatican says it wants simultaneous release in the main languages.