List of encyclicals of Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII issued eight Papal Encyclicals during his five-year reign as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, from his election on October 28 1958 until his death on June 3 1963. Two of his encylicals, "Mater et Magistra" and "Pacem in Terris", are especially important. [Citation | title= Vatican Revolutionary| newspaper= TIME| pages= | year= 1963| date= 7 June 1963 | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874758-1,00.html | accessdate = 2008-05-21] [cite web |url= http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20000903_john-xxiii_en.html |title= Pope John XXIII Biography |accessdate=2008-05-11 |author= |date= 6 September 2000 |work=L'Osservatore Romano |publisher= ] A Papal Encyclical is a letter sent by the Pope which is addressed to Roman Catholic bishops in a particular area or the whole world. [cite web|last= Sagmuller|first= Johannes Baptist|title= Ecclesiastical Letters|work= Catholic Encyclopedia |url= http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Ecclesiastical_Letters|accessdate= 2008-05-11] [cite web|last= Thurston|first= Herbert|title= Bulls and Briefs|work= Catholic Encyclopedia |url= http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Bulls_and_Briefs|accessdate= 2008-05-11] Encyclicals may condemn errors, point out threats to faith and morals, exhort faithful practices, or provide remedies for present and future dangers to the church. The authority of the encyclical varies depending on the circumstances and is not necessarily "ex cathedra". [cite web|last= Thurston|first= Herbert|title= Encyclical |work= Catholic Encyclopedia |url= http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Encyclical|accessdate= 2008-05-11] The title of a Papal Encyclical is usually taken from its first few words.

Pope John XXIII's first encyclical, "Ad Petri Cathedram", was issued eight months into his pontificate and was neither an important social document nor doctrinal exposition. Instead it looked at truth, unity and peace with distinctive familiarity and concern.Citation | title= Ad Petri Cathedram| newspaper= TIME| pages= | year= 1959| date= 13 July 1959 | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869179,00.html | accessdate = 2008-05-21] The second, "Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia", commemorated the 100th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, while "Grata Recordatio" considered the use of the Rosary. "Princeps Pastorum", his fourth encyclical, used as its biblical text and celebrated Roman Catholic missions.

"Mater et Magistra", the fifth encyclical, carried forward ideas from Leo XIII's "Rerum Novarum" (1891), which had been issued 70 years before, and Pius XI's "Quadragesimo Anno" (1931). It considers social ethics with its most important point being the application of natural law to the international community. [cite journal |last= Brown|first= Robert McAfee|authorlink= Robert McAfee Brown |year= 1964|month= |title= Review of The Challenge of "Mater et Magistra"|journal= Review of Religious Research|volume= 6|issue= 1|pages= 44-45|id= |url= http://www.jstor.org/stable/3510885 |accessdate= 2008-05-01 | format = subscription required | quote = The significant new thrust in the encyclical is its application of natural law theory to the international community, and its recognition that in our new and complex society there will be more occasions than in the past in which activities formerly conducted by private individuals will have to be administered by the state. ] It is one of the longest encyclicals, at more than 25,000 words. [Citation | title= Mater et Magistra| newspaper= TIME| pages= | year= 1961| date= 21 July 1961 | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,897825,00.html | accessdate = 2008-05-21] The sixth encyclical, "Aeterna Dei Sapientia", commemorated the death of Pope Leo I and called for unity within Christendom from external movements such as Communism and secularism. [Citation | title= A Shepherd Calls| newspaper= TIME| pages= | year= 1961| date= 15 December 1961 | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827100,00.html | accessdate = 2008-05-21] The penultimate encyclical, "Paenitentiam Agere", considered penance and the then-upcoming Second Vatican Council. Pope John XXIII's final encyclical, "Pacem in Terris", was written two months before his death. It is long—over 15,000 words—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 Roman Catholic Church. It was hailed as "one of the most profound and significant documents of our age." [Citation | title= The Lasting Vision of Pope John| newspaper= TIME| pages= | year= 1965| date= 26 February 1965 | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833488,00.html | accessdate = 2008-05-21]

References

External links

* [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_xxiii/encyclicals/index.htm Vatican archives for Pope John XXIII]