The gist of it appears to be the pope has painted himself into a corner:
".. everyone has heard he's producing a new encyclical & knows what it will contain,"
--- this is what I've been criticizing from the git-go: people reacting to "what they know it will contain" when not one word of it has been published yet. People swift to pass judgment on the basis of no evidence have not exactly earned either credibility or respect.
"...recent public statements on the same subject have proved unpopular..."
Unpopular with whom? Not with the world leadership elite: national and international governments, billionaire corporate and foundation heads, academia, NGO's and QUANGO's, the talking heads in the media. Knowing how popular a sweeping climate-change encyclical would be with them, the pope's putting on the brakes --- if true--- would be a sign of principle, wouldn't it?
"...however The UN let the cat out of the bag early, and announced a publication date that gives the pope little time to overhaul the encyclical into something more acceptable."
Again, more acceptable to whom? He's going to turn his back on Ban Ki-Moon and Bill Gates to seek the favor of --- whom? James Delingpole? Christopher Monckton? Mark Steyn? The Heartland Institute? If so--- IF SO --- it's time for a Te Deum