EWTN News Explains: What Is a Papal Encylical?

EWTN News explains: What is a papal encyclical?

Papal encyclicals are a powerful way the pope shapes global debates and articulates Church doctrine, but how should Catholics understand them? [...]

EWTN News Explains: What Is a Papal Encylical?

Pope Leo XIV signs his first apostolic exhortation, “Dilexi Te,” on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at the Vatican. Papal encyclicals are a powerful way the pope shapes global debates and articulates Church doctrine, but how should Catholics understand them?

What exactly is an encyclical?

(OSV News) — An encyclical is a pastoral letter addressed by the pope to the whole Church. Encyclical letters generally address matters of faith or morals, encourage a particular commemoration or pious devotion, or deal with matters of Church discipline which are to be universally observed. The apostles used letters to address the faithful of the various churches they had helped to establish. Most notably, St. Paul wrote a number of letters (epi…