Anencyclical was originally acircular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancientRoman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by anybishop. The word comes from theLate Latinencyclios (originally from theLatinencyclius, a Latinization ofGreekἐνκύκλιος (enkyklios), meaning "circular", "in a circle", or "all-round", also part of the origin of the wordencyclopedia).[1] The term is now primarily associated withpapal encyclicals.
The term has been used byCatholics,Anglicans and theEastern Orthodox Church.
Although the term "encyclical" originally simply meant a circulating letter, it acquired a more specific meaning within the context of the Catholic Church. In 1740,Pope Benedict XIV wrote a letter titledUbi primum, which is generally regarded as the first encyclical. The term is now used almost exclusively for a kind of letter sent out by the pope.[2]
For the modernCatholic Church, apapal encyclical is a specific category of papal document, a kind ofpastoral letter concerning Catholic doctrine, sent by the pope and usually addressed especially to patriarchs, primates, archbishops and bishops who are incommunion with theHoly See. The form of the address can vary widely and may concern bishops in a particular area, or designate a wider audience.[2] Papal encyclicals usually take the form of apapal brief because of their more personal nature as opposed to the formalpapal bull.
Like most papal documents the title of the encyclical is usually taken from itsfirst few words (itsincipit). They are usually written inLatin unless particularly addressed to the Bishops or the church of one region. Papal encyclicals not in Latin include the 1931 ItalianNon abbiamo bisogno against Italian fascist suppression of groups likeCatholic Action, and the 1937 GermanMit brennender Sorge against the Nazi idolization of race and nation.
In the encyclicalHumani generis,Pope Pius XII held that papal encyclicals, even when they are of ordinarymagisterium, 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.[3]
Catholic social teaching has advanced 19 encyclicals. On social issues,Pope Leo XIII promulgated the encyclicalRerum novarum (1891), which was followed byQuadragesimo anno (1931) ofPius XI andCentesimus annus (1991) ofJohn Paul II.Pope Pius XII issued ten encyclicals, mostly after 1945, three of them protesting against theSoviet invasion ofHungary which suppressed theHungarian Revolution in 1956:Datis nuperrime,Laetamur admodum andLuctuosissimi eventus.Pope Paul VI published an encyclicalHumanae vitae on the topic ofbirth control.
AmongstAnglicans the termencyclical was revived in the late 19th century. It is applied to circular letters issued by the Englishprimates.
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