What does encyclical mean?
An encyclical is an official, open letter issued by the pope and addressed to the bishops — and by extension the entire membership — of the Roman Catholic Church. Encyclicals are among the most authoritative forms of papal teaching, though they generally fall short of dogmatic definitions reserved for solemn declarations. They traditionally address significant questions of faith, morality, or social concern, such as human dignity, peace, economics, or the environment, with famous examples including Rerum Novarum on labor rights and Laudato si' on ecological care. The word derives from the Greek enkyklios, meaning 'circular' or 'general', reflecting its original sense of a letter circulated widely for general reading. Outside religious contexts, 'encyclical' appears mainly in historical and journalistic writing about the Church. Because of its specific institutional association, the word carries a distinctly formal register and is rarely applied to correspondence in other traditions, where terms like 'pastoral letter' are preferred.
nounAn official letter or circular issued by a pope to the bishops and faithful of the Roman Catholic Church, typically addressing matters of doctrine, morals, or social teaching.
- A formal letter addressed by the pope to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, setting out doctrine or guidance on important issues.
"The Pope's encyclical on climate change drew attention far beyond the Catholic Church."
"The pontiff devoted his latest encyclical to the moral dimensions of economic inequality."
"Scholars continue to debate the theological arguments advanced in that nineteenth-century encyclical."
Regular plural; used when referring collectively to multiple papal letters across history.
"His collected encyclicals fill several volumes."
Every papal encyclical takes its title from its first words in Latin — so 'Laudato si'' literally opens with 'Praise be to you.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of encyclical
The word comes ultimately from Greek enkyklios, meaning 'circular', 'general', or 'ordinary', formed from en- ('in') plus kyklos ('circle'). In classical usage it described things belonging to a general circle of knowledge, which also gave rise to 'encyclopedia'. The phrase epistola encyclica ('a circular letter') was adopted in Latin for letters circulated broadly within the early Christian Church, and over time 'encyclical' came to denote specifically the pope's circular letters to the bishops. English adopted the word around the seventeenth century in this ecclesiastical sense. It shares its root with 'cycle', 'cyclone', and 'encyclopedia'.
How encyclical is actually used
The term is almost exclusively associated with Roman Catholicism and carries a formal, ecclesiastical register. 'Encyclical' can also function as an adjective meaning 'circular' or 'intended for wide circulation', but this use is rare outside scholarly writing about church history.
Easily confused with encyclical
'Cyclical' means occurring in cycles or repeating at regular intervals, while an 'encyclical' is a formal papal letter.