It turned out that the Vatican had purposely blurred the final two lines on the letter’s first page in which Benedict acknowledged that he had not actually read the books and that he was physically unable and too busy to contribute his own theological assessment of Pope Francis. Distorted though it was, at least the first page saw the light of day. In the photo, the letter’s second page sits buried under the books about Francis. Only Benedict’s signature was visible.

Monsignor Vigano, in a sort of Keystone Clergy moment, himself drew attention to the omissions in the photo when he read the missing text at Monday’s news conference. Mr. Magister, who was at the news conference, transcribed and published the remarks.

The Associated Press first drew attention to what appeared to be blurred lines in the photo of the letter. Its discovery prompted an outcry, especially among Catholic conservatives who complained that their hero, Pope Benedict, was being exploited to paper over Francis’ doctrinal deficiencies. The Twitter hashtag #releasetheletter went viral. The Catholic Herald, a Catholic publication, ran the headline “Blurred Lines: Vatican Manipulation of Photo Becomes the Story.”

Under pressure to address what it called “presumed manipulation,” the Vatican on Saturday released Benedict’s full letter, of which almost the entire second page consisted of Benedict expressing his “surprise” that the 11-volume “Theology of Pope Francis” included a German author who, Benedict said, had targeted his teachings with “virulent” and “anti-papist” attacks. He said he was too busy to read the books and offer his assessment.

“I’m certain you can understand why I’m declining,” Benedict signed off.

The Vatican claimed it originally released only the portion of the letter it considered “opportune and relevant.”

But it did not look good. Especially because Pope Francis, who frequently laments journalists who fail to report the full story, released a major document in January condemning “fake news.” In the document, he said deception in the media went back to the snake in the Garden of Eden.