Encyclical

In the ancient Church, an encyclical was a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area. As used at that time, the word could be used of a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from Latin "encyclia" meaning "general" or "encircling", which is also the origin of the word "encyclopedia".

In the modern Roman Catholic Church a Papal encyclical is a letter sent by the Pope to Roman Catholic bishops of a particular area or the world, usually treating some aspect of Catholic doctrine. Papal encyclicals usually take the form of a Papal brief due to their more personal nature as opposed to the formal Papal bull. Papal encyclicals are so famous that the term encyclical for Roman Catholics is used almost exclusively for those sent out by the Pope. The Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion retain the older usage.

Within Roman Catholicism, an encyclical (officially called an Encyclical Letter) is second in importance after the highest ranking document now issued by popes, an Apostolic Constitution.

Important papal encyclicals

• Pope Pius IX
  • Quanta Cura (1864)
• Pope Leo XIII
  • Rerum Novarum (1891)
• Pope Pius X
  • Vehementer nos (1905)
• Pope Pius XI
  • Casti Connubii (1930)
  • Quadragesimo Anno (1931)
  • Divini Redemptoris
  • Mit Brennender Sorge (1937)
• Pope Pius XII
  • Humani Generis (1950)
• Pope John XXIII
  • Ad Petri Cathedram (1959)
  • Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia (1959)
  • Grata Recordatio (1959)
  • Princeps Pastorum (1959)
  • Mater et Magistra 1961
  • Aeterna Dei Sapientia (1961)
  • Poenitentiam Agere (1962)
  • Pacem in Terris ( 1963)
• Pope Paul VI
  • Ecclesiam Suam ( 1964)
  • Mense Maio ( 1965)
  • Mysterium Fidei (1965)
  • Christi Matri (1966)
  • Populorum Progressio (1967)
  • Sacerdotalis Caelibatus (1967)
  • Humanae Vitae 1968
• Pope John Paul II
  • Redemptor Hominis (1979)
  • Dives in Misericordia (1980)
  • Laborem Exercens (1981)
  • Slavorum Apostoli (1985)
  • Dominum et Vivificantem (1986)
  • Redemptoris Mater (1987)
  • Sollicitudo Rei Socialis ( 1987)
  • Redemptoris Missio (1990)
  • Centesimus Annus (1991)
  • Veritatis Splendor (1993)
  • Evangelium Vitae (1995)
  • Ut Unum Sint (1995)
  • Fides et Ratio (1998)
  • Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003)

Important Eastern Orthodox encyclicals

• Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs (1848)

External links

• John Paul II Encyclicals from Vatican
• www.papalencyclicals.net, a source for etexts of most of the encyclicals from recent centuries

Source

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd. ed.), p. 545