Cathal BarryThere hasn’t always been such furore around the publication of papal encyclicals, writes Cathal Barry
Pope Francis is revolutionising the papacy in more ways than one. Ever since his election in 2013, the Pope has been making subtle but profound changes to the Church he now heads.
Actions speak louder than words in this social media era, of course, meaning that Pope Francis’ simple yet powerful gestures have been both well reported and received around the globe.
More impressive still has been the Pope’s ability to capture the imagination of Catholics and non-Catholics alike through his uniquely styled papal documents.
The Pope’s open, straightforward and down-to-earth style of communication even made his first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, an international bestseller.
Through the use of colloquial phrases, metaphors and musings, Pope Francis has not only altered the Church’s message, he’s changed the script.
While it is important to note that there hasn’t been any substantial modifications in doctrine, there has certainly been a shift in emphasis under Francis.
Significantly, by constantly highlighting mercy, he has made clear that he expects the Church to apply its teaching with compassion.
The Pope’s newly released encyclical, Laudato Si, is a perfect example of such compassion, and, given its papal seal, is sure to be a big hit in the book stores.
Furore
There hasn’t always been such furore around the publication of such documents but Pope Francis’ openness, accessibility and refusal to pull any punches has intrigued the world and ensured its individual attention.
The fact that this new encyclical is technically the Pope’s first will only serve to bolster such interest. (Pope Francis’ first encyclical, Lumen Fidei, was essentially the work of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, to whose words Francis had merely “added a few contributions” of his own.)
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop.
For the modern Church an encyclical is a letter, usually treating some aspect of Catholic doctrine, sent by the Pope and addressed either to the Catholic bishops of a particular area or, more normally, to the bishops of the world. However, the form of the address can vary widely and often includes a wider audience.
Encyclicals are not divinely inspired and do not contain new revelation, but they are an authoritative teaching instrument of the Pope.
The title of the encyclical is usually taken from its incipit, its first few words, usually in Latin.
However in a break with tradition, Laudato Si, a phrase from St Francis’ famous prayer thanking God for the gifts of creation, is medieval Italian.
The Apostles, particularly St Paul, used letters to keep in touch with distant Church communities.
Similarly, the Apostles’ successors, the bishops, continued this tradition of letter writing to one another, and sometimes to the faithful, to promote consistency in faith and discipline, especially about doctrines, feast-day celebrations and liturgical calendars.
Likewise, the Bishop of Rome wrote epistles to bishops all over the world. He also received many letters from bishops all over the world and circulated them to other bishops.
The practice of circular letters, however, fell into disuse during the Middle Ages. The Holy See began to write letters to one bishop at a time concerning the affairs of his local diocese and each diocesan bishop would in turn write only to the Holy See.
Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758), helped by widespread use of the printing press, revived the ancient tradition of the Pope writing a common letter to all the bishops of the world; modern collections of papal letters usually begin with his papacy.
Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) called these letters encyclicals, from the Latin encyclicus, circular, because they were intended for wide circulation. However, the term encyclical did not become an official title until after the First Vatican Council (1870) when encyclical letters were clearly marked as such.
Encyclicals were further developed under Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903).
Papal letters since 1740 had been primarily exhortations regarding traditional issues. However, Pope Leo XIII focused on more substantive issues, such as Catholic Social Teaching.
His encyclicals changed the Church’s relations with temporal authorities, and, in the 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, for the first time addressed social inequality and social justice issues with papal authority, focusing on the rights and duties of capital and labour.
Since Leo XIII, Papal teachings have expanded on the rights and obligations of workers and the limitations of private property. Pope Pius XI’s Quadragesimo Anno, John XXIII’s Mater et Magistra, Pope Paul VI’s Populorum Progressio and Pope John Paul II’s Centesimus Annus, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, have all expanded on the original encyclical of their predecessor.
The ‘Good Pope’, John XXIII, issued eight encyclicals during his five-year reign as Pope, from his election on October 28, 1958 until his death on June 3, 1963.
Two of his encyclicals, Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris, are especially important.
As already mentioned, Mater et Magistra, the Pope’s fifth encyclical, carried forward ideas from Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, which had been issued 70 years before. It considered social ethics with its most important point being the application of natural law to the international community.
John XXIII’s final encyclical, Pacem in Terris, was written just months before his death and is the first in history to have been addressed to “all men of good will”, rather than only the bishops and laity of the Catholic Church.
Pope John Paul II has also penned a remarkable number of encyclicals, 14 in total, that have had a powerful impact on the Church, and also on non-Catholics via the public media, such as Laborem Exercens (1981) and Centesimus Annus (1991) on Catholic social teaching, Veritatis Splendor (1993) on the magnificence of the truth, Evangelium Vitae (1995) on the value of human life, Ut Unum Sint (1995) on ecumenism, and Fides et Ratio (1998) on the unity of faith and reason.
Pope Francis’ first encyclical Lumen Fidei on faith was long expected as the last volume in Pope Benedict XVI’s trilogy on the three ‘theological virtues’ following his encyclicals Deus Caritas Est (2005) on charity, and Spe Salvi (2007) on hope.
Addressed to “the bishops, priests and deacons, consecrated persons and the lay faithful”, Lumen Fidei deals extensively with the origins of faith, as well as its transmission and its relevance in the world.
Laudato Si, on the other hand, is addressed to “every person living on this planet” and tackles the issue of climate change and humanity’s responsibility for the environment.
However, regardless of the issue they deal with or who they are addressed to, every new encyclical builds on an already extensive and invaluable collection of insights into some of the world’s most impressive spiritual leaders. Francis just seems to get more attention than the rest.