encyclical: Definition and Much More from Answers.com

Dictionary:

encyclical

(ĕn-sĭk'lĭ-kəl)

originally, a pastoral letter sent out by a bishop, now a solemn papal letter, meant to inform the whole church on some particular matter of importance. Benedict XIV circulated the first known encyclical in 1740. Unlike those in the papal bull, doctrinal statements in an encyclical are not necessarily regarded as infallible; the faithful, however, are bound to give assent. Encyclicals became more numerous after the 18th cent. Leo XIII issued a whole series of encyclicals reorienting Roman Catholic life in the modern world; among these are Aeterni Patris, 1879, on Thomistic philosophy, and Rerum novarum, 1891, concerning the social order. Other noteworthy encyclicals include Pascendi, 1907, by Pius X, on modernism; Quadragesimo anno [in the 40th year, i.e., since Rerum novarum], 1931, by Pius XI, dealing further with social questions; and two by Pius XI not written in Latin—Non abbiamo bisogno, 1931, against Italian Fascism, and Mit brennender Sorge, 1937, against the National Socialist regime in Germany. Among the numerous encyclicals of Pius XII are Mystici corporis Christi, 1943, on the nature of the church, and Sacra virgintas, 1954, on evangelical chastity. The encyclical Mater et Magistra, 1961, by John XXIII, makes current the church's teachings on social matters. Paul VI's Humanae Vitae, 1968, which reaffirms the church's traditional prohibition of contraception, caused considerable controversy. John Paul II's many encyclicals include Laborem Exercens, 1981, on the value of human labor; Evangelium Vitae, 1995, which restated the church's teachings on abortion, birth control, and euthanasia and condemned capital punishment; and Fides et Ratio, 1998, which condemns both atheism and faith unsupported by reason and affirms a place for reason and philosophy in religion. All papal edicts are normally known by their first word or words.

Bibliography

See A. J. Fremantle, The Papal Encyclicals in Their Historical Context (1963).

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 (from the Greek "en kyklo, ἐν κύκλῳ") 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:

Important papal encyclicals

• Pope Saint Peter
  • I Peter
  • II Peter
• Pope Eugene IV
  • Sicut Dudum (1435)
• Pope Benedict XIV
  • Vix Pervenit (1745)
  • Ex Quo (1756)
• Pope Pius IX
  • Quanta Cura (1864)
• Pope Leo XIII
  • Humanum Genus (1884)
  • Rerum Novarum (1891)
  • Providentissimus Deus (1893)
• Pope Saint 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)
  • Mediator Dei (1947)
  • 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)
  • Spe Salvi (expected 2007)

Important Eastern Orthodox encyclicals

• Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs (1848)

External links

• John Paul II Encyclicals from Vatican
• Papal Encyclicals at Giga-Catholic Information
• www.papalencyclicals.net, a source for etexts of most of the encyclicals from recent centuries
• The Authority of Papal Encyclicals

Source

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