Encyclical

An encyclical was a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Christian church. 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".

The Roman Catholic Church generally only uses this term for papal encyclicals, but the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion retain the older usage.

Roman Catholic usage
For the modern Roman Catholic Church a Papal encyclical, in the strictest sense, is a letter sent by the Pope which is explicitly addressed to Roman Catholic bishops of a particular area or to the world, usually treating some aspect of Catholic doctrine. However, the form of the address can vary widely, and often designates a wider audience. 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 title of the encyclical is usually taken from its first few words.

Within Catholicism in recent times, an encyclical is generally used for significant issues, and is second in importance only to the highest ranking document now issued by popes, an Apostolic Constitution. However, the designation 'encyclical' does not always denote such a degree of significance. The archives at the Vatican website currently classify some encyclicals as "Apostolic Exhortations". This informal term generally indicates documents with a broader audience than the bishops alone.

Pope Pius XII held that Papal Encyclicals, even when they are not ex cathedra, can nonetheless be sufficiently authoritative to end theological debate on a particular question: It is not to be thought that what is set down in Encyclical letters does not demand assent in itself, because in this the popes do not exercise the supreme power of their magisterium. For these matters are taught by the ordinary magisterium, regarding which the following is pertinent: “He who heareth you, heareth Me.” (Luke 10:16); and usually what is set forth and inculcated in Encyclical Letters, already pertains to Catholic doctrine. But if the Supreme Pontiffs in their acts, after due consideration, express an opinion on a hitherto controversial matter, it is clear to all that this matter, according to the mind and will of the same Pontiffs, cannot any longer be considered a question of free discussion among theologians.
 * &mdash;Humani Generis

Important papal encyclicals

 * Pope Eugene IV
 * Sicut Dudum (1435)
 * Pope Benedict XIV
 * Ex Quo (1756)
 * Pope Pius IX
 * Quanta Cura (1864)
 * Pope Leo XIII
 * Humanum Genus (1884)
 * Rerum Novarum (1891)
 * Providentissimus Deus (1893)
 * Pope Pius X
 * Vehementer Nos (1905)
 * Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1910)
 * Pope Benedict XV
 * Humani Generis Redemptionem (1917)
 * Pacem, Dei Munus Pulcherrimum (1920)
 * Pope Pius XI
 * Casti Connubii (1930)
 * Quadragesimo Anno (1931)
 * Divini Redemptoris
 * ''Mit Brennender Sorge (1937)
 * Pope Pius XII
 * Mystici Corporis Christi (1943)
 * 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)
 * Pope Benedict XVI
 * Deus Caritas Est (2005)

Important Eastern Orthodox encyclicals

 * Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs (1848)

Source

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

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