An official letter from the Pope sent to bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, usually addressing important doctrinal or moral matters.
From Late Latin encyclica (circular letter) from Greek enkyklios (general, circular). The word originally meant any circular letter but became specifically associated with papal documents.
The Pope's encyclicals are numbered and famous—like 'Humane Vitae' on birth control or 'Laudato Si'' on climate change. They're essentially the Church's official positions distributed to bishops worldwide.
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