List of Encyclicals of Pope Pius XII
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This is a list of encyclicals of Pope Pius XII. Pope Pius XII issued 40 Papal Encyclicals, during his reign as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church for over 19 years, from his election of March 2, 1939 until his death on October 9, 1958.
An encyclical (from Latin encyclia, from the Greek "en kyklo, ἐν κύκλῳ", meaning "general" or "encircling") was a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Christian church. For the modern Roman Catholic Church, a Papal Encyclical, in the strictest sense, is a letter sent by the Pope which is explicitly addressed to Roman Catholic bishops of a particular area or to the world, usually treating some aspect of Catholic doctrine. A Papal Encyclical is generally used for significant issues, and is second in importance only to the highest ranking document now issued by popes, an Apostolic Constitution.
The title of a Papal Encyclical is usually taken from its first few words.
- Pope Pius XII Encyclicals (most in English, Italian, Portuguese with some in French, Italian, Spanish and one in German) - from the Papal Archive at the internet site of the Holy See.
- PapalEncyclicals.net - Pope Pius XII - online copies