Encyclical

An encyclical is a lengthy letter published by the Pope as head of the Catholic Church. Originally it was addressed to the bishops, that is, the leaders of the church districts worldwide. Today, popes often explicitly address all people in these letters, including non-believers. The name comes from the Greek word for “circulating”: the text was meant to be passed on from bishop to bishop. An encyclical is always named after its first Latin words, for example “Laudato si'”. In terms of content, it deals with matters of faith, but just as often with politics, economics, the environment, or technology.

The heaviest word a Pope can write

The Catholic Church has around 1.4 billion members. When its head speaks out on a topic, this carries weight far beyond the Church itself. An encyclical is not just any speech, but a carefully prepared foundational document. Experts often work on such texts for years.

For believers, an encyclical carries high binding authority. However, it is not infallible in the strict sense that the Church reserves for very rare doctrinal decisions. It can be read as an official statement of position, not as an unalterable law. Later popes can shift emphases or reassess topics.

Politically, encyclicals can have a surprisingly strong impact. “Rerum novarum” from 1891 addressed the situation of factory workers and shaped Christian social policy in Europe. “Laudato si'” from 2015 appeared just a few months before the Paris Climate Conference and was cited there by diplomats. A religious text can thus influence an international debate.

From a draft in the Vatican to the Latin title

It begins with a topic that the Pope considers urgent. He commissions preparatory work, usually from theologians, but also from scientists and economic experts. For environmental topics, for instance, the Vatican brings in climate researchers. Out of these contributions, over months or years, a text emerges that the Pope himself revises and ultimately signs.

The encyclical is published through the Vatican, simultaneously in several languages. The authoritative version is traditionally the Latin one. The title is formed from its first two or three words. “Fratelli tutti” simply means “All Brothers” and is Italian, which shows that the rule is no longer strictly followed.

An encyclical is structured into chapters and numbered sections. This is why it is cited like a legal text, for example “Laudato si', No. 104”. For context: there are also weaker text forms such as the Apostolic Letter and stronger ones such as the Apostolic Constitution. The encyclical ranks high in this hierarchy, but not at the very top.

Why the term suddenly appears in tech news

In the news, this word usually comes up when a Pope addresses a sensitive societal topic. Climate change, criticism of capitalism, migration, and war are among these. Editorial teams then condense the text into a few key statements. This often sparks a debate about how far the Church is allowed to get involved in politics.

For a tech audience, the topic of artificial intelligence is of particular interest. The Vatican has repeatedly commented on algorithms, data power, and autonomous weapons, among other things in messages for the World Day of Peace and in documents from church authorities. Major technology companies have co-signed declarations on ethical rules for AI. Such texts are formally not encyclicals, but they draw on the same ideas.

A common misconception is that every statement by a Pope is an encyclical. Interviews, homilies, and speeches are explicitly not. A Pope usually publishes only a handful of encyclicals over an entire pontificate. It is precisely this rarity that reliably makes a new encyclical headline news.