Content deleted Content added
→Catholic usage: souce aded + what the soruce says |
|||
Line 9:
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 titled ''Ubi 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.<ref name=":0" />
For the modern Roman Catholic Church, a '''papal encyclical''' is a specific category of papal document, a kind of [[Pastoral care|pastoral]] letter concerning Catholic doctrine, sent by the [[Pope]] and usually addressed especially to patriarchs, primates, archbishops and bishops who are in [[Communion (Christian)|communion]] with the [[Holy See]]. The form of the address can vary widely, and may concern bishops in a particular area, or designate a wider audience.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Encyclical|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/encyclical}}</ref> Papal encyclicals usually take the form of a [[papal brief]] due to their more personal nature as opposed to the formal [[papal bull]]. They are usually written in [[Latin language|Latin]] and, like most papal documents, the title of the encyclical is usually taken from its [[opening sentence|first few words]] (its ''[[incipit]]'').
===Papal use of encyclicals===
| |||