This is a list of encyclicals of Pope Pius XII. Pius XII promulgated 41 papal encyclicals, during his reign as pope for over 19 years, from his election of March 2, 1939, until his death on October 9, 1958. The 41 encyclicals of Pius XII exceed the 32 encyclicals written by all his successors (John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI) during the fifty years that followed (1958–2008).
| No. | Title | Subject | Date | Text | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latin | English translation | ||||
| 1. | Summi Pontificatus | "On the Supreme Pontificate" | On the Unity of Human Society | October 20, 1939 | (English) |
| 2. | Sertum laetitiae | "The Crown of Joy" | On the Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the establishment of the hierarchy in the United States | November 1, 1939 | (English) |
| 3. | Saeculo exeunte | On the Eighth Century of the Independence of Portugal | June 13, 1940 | (English) | |
| 4. | Mystici corporis Christi | "On the Mystical Body of Christ" | On the Mystical Body of Christ and the Church | June 29, 1943 | (English) |
| 5. | Divino afflante Spiritu | "Inspired by the Divine Spirit" | On Sacred Scripture | September 30, 1943 | (English) |
| 6. | Orientalis Ecclesiae | "Of the Eastern Church" | On St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria | April 9, 1944 | (English) |
| 7. | Communium interpretes dolorum | "Interpreter of the universal anguish" | On Ending the Second World War | April 15, 1945 | (English) |
| 8. | Orientales omnes Ecclesias | "All the Eastern Churches" | On the 350th Anniversary of Reunion of the Ruthenian Church with Rome | December 23, 1945 | (English) |
| 9. | Quemadmodum | On Pleading for Care for the World's Destitute Children | January 6, 1946 | (English) | |
| 10. | Deiparae Virginis Mariae | "Of the Blessed Virgin Mary" | Should We Define the Assumption? | May 1, 1946 | (English) |
| 11. | Fulgens radiatur | "The radiant light" | On the Brilliant Light of Saint Benedict | March 21, 1947 | (English) |
| 12. | Mediator Dei | "Mediator of God" | On the Sacred Liturgy | November 20, 1947 | (English) |
| 13. | Optatissima pax | "Longed-for peace" | On Prescribing Public Prayers for Social and World Peace | December 18, 1947 | (English) |
| 14. | Auspicia quaedam | Prayers for World Peace and the Solution Of The Problems Of Palestine | May 1, 1948 | (English) | |
| 15. | In multiplicibus curis | "Among the multiple preoccupations" | On Prayers for Peace in Palestine | October 24, 1948 | (English) |
| 16. | Redemptoris nostri cruciatus | "The Passion of Our Redeemer" | On Holy Places in Palestine | April 15, 1949 | (English) |
| 17. | Anni sacri | "On the Holy Year" | On a Program For Combating Atheistic Propaganda Throughout The World | March 12, 1950 | (English) |
| 18. | Summi maeroris | "With the deepest sorrow" | On a Call for Public Prayers for Peace | July 19, 1950 | (English) |
| 19. | Humani generis | "On Human Origin" | Concerning Some False Opinions Threatening to Undermine the Foundations of Catholic Doctrine | August 12, 1950 | (English) |
| 20. | Mirabile illud | "That admirable" | On a Crusade for Prayers for Peace | December 6, 1950 | (English) |
| 21. | Evangelii praecones | "Toiling missionaries" | On the Promotion of Catholic Missions | June 2, 1951 | (English) |
| 22. | Sempiternus Rex Christus | "Christ, the Eternal King" | On the Council of Chalcedon | September 8, 1951 | (English) |
| 23. | Ingruentium malorum | "Approaching evil" | On Reciting the Rosary | September 15, 1951 | (English) |
| 24. | Orientales Ecclesias | "The Oriental Churches" | On The Persecuted Eastern Church and describing the hopeless situation of the faithful in Bulgaria | December 15, 1952 | (English) |
| 25. | Doctor Mellifluus | "Sweet Doctor" | On St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Last of the Fathers | May 24, 1953 | (English) |
| 26. | Fulgens corona | "The radiant crown" | Proclaiming a Marian Year to Commemorate the Centenary of the Definition of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception | September 8, 1953 | (English) |
| 27. | Sacra virginitas | "On Holy Virginity" | On Consecrated Virginity | March 25, 1954 | (English) |
| 28. | Ecclesiae fastos | "History of the Church" | On Saint Boniface | June 5, 1954 | (English) |
| 29. | Ad Sinarum gentem | "To the Chinese people" | On the Supranationality of the Church | October 7, 1954 | (English) |
| 30. | Ad Caeli Reginam | "To the Queen of Heaven" | On Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary | October 11, 1954 | (English) |
| 31. | Musicae sacrae | "Of Sacred Music" | On Sacred Music | December 25, 1955 | (English) |
| 32. | Haurietis aquas | "You shall draw waters" | On Devotion to the Sacred Heart | May 15, 1956 | (English) |
| 33. | Luctuosissimi eventus | "Sorrowful events" | Urging Public Prayers for Peace and Freedom for the People of Hungary | October 28, 1956 | (English) |
| 34. | Laetamur admodum | "We are most pleased" | Renewing Exhortation for Prayers for Peace in Poland, Hungary, and the Middle East | November 1, 1956 | (English) |
| 35. | Datis nuperrime | "In the recent encyclical" | Lamenting the Sorrowful Events in Hungary, and Condemning the Ruthless Use of Force | November 5, 1956 | (English) |
| 36. | Fidei donum | "The gift of faith" | On the Present Condition of the Catholic Missions, especially in Africa | April 21, 1957 | (English) |
| 37. | Invicti athletae | "Of the unconquered athlete" | On St. Andrew Bobola | May 16, 1957 | (English) |
| 38. | Le pèlerinage de Lourdes | "Of the pilgrimage to Lourdes" | Warning Against Materialism on the Centenary of the Apparitions at Lourdes | July 2, 1957 | (English) |
| 39. | Miranda prorsus | On the Communications Fields: Motion Pictures, Radio, Television | September 8, 1957 | (English) | |
| 40. | Ad Apostolorum principis | "At the Prince of the Apostles" | On Communism and the Church in China | June 29, 1958 | (English) |
| 41. | Meminisse iuvat | "It is helpful to recall" | On Prayers for the Persecuted Church | July 14, 1958 | (English) |
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 held that papal encyclicals, even when they are not ex cathedra, can nonetheless be sufficiently authoritative to end theological debate on a particular question. He wrote in Humani generis:
It is not to be thought that what is set down in Encyclical letters does not demand assent in itself, because in this the popes do not exercise the supreme power of their magisterium. For these matters are taught by the ordinary magisterium, regarding which the following is pertinent: “He who heareth you, heareth Me.” (Luke 10:16); and usually what is set forth and inculcated in Encyclical Letters, already pertains to Catholic doctrine. But if the Supreme Pontiffs in their acts, after due consideration, express an opinion on a hitherto controversial matter, it is clear to all that this matter, according to the mind and will of the same Pontiffs, cannot any longer be considered a question of free discussion among theologians.
Encyclicals indicate high Papal priority for an issue at a given time. Only pontiffs define when, and under which circumstances encyclicals should be issued. They may choose to issue an apostolic constitution, bull, encyclical, apostolic letter or give a papal speech. Pontiffs differ on the use of encyclicals. On the issue of birth control and contraception, for example, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Casti connubii , while Pope Pius XII spoke to midwives and the medical profession when he clarified his position on the issue. [1] Pope Paul VI published an encyclical Humanae vitae on the same topic. On matters of war and peace, Pope Pius XII issued ten encyclicals, most of them after 1945, three of them ( Datis nuperrime , Sertum laetitiae , and Luctuosissimi eventus ) protesting the Soviet invasion and crackdown of the Hungarian revolution in 1956. Pope Paul VI spoke about the war in Vietnam and Pope John Paul II, issued his protest against the war in Iraq in speeches. On social issues, Pope Leo XIII promulgated Rerum novarum , followed by Quadragesimo anno by Pius XI, and Centesimus annus by John Paul II. Pius XII spoke on the same topic to a consistory of cardinals in his Christmas messages and to numerous academic and professional associations. [2] The magisterium of Pius XII is therefore significantly larger than the below listed 41 encyclicals. Most of the detailed teachings are in his papal speeches on specific topics such as:
Humanae vitae is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and dated 25 July 1968. The text was issued at a Vatican press conference on 29 July. Subtitled On the Regulation of Birth, it re-affirmed the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the rejection of artificial contraception. In formulating his teaching he explained why he did not accept the conclusions of the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control established by his predecessor, Pope John XXIII, a commission he himself had expanded.
Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli with his papal name being Pope Pius XII, was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his election to the papacy, he served as secretary of the Department of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, papal nuncio to Germany, and Cardinal Secretary of State, in which capacity he worked to conclude treaties with various European and Latin American nations, including the Reichskonkordat treaty with the German Reich.
Pope Paul VI was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in August 1978. Succeeding John XXIII, he continued the Second Vatican Council, which he closed in 1965, implementing its numerous reforms. He fostered improved ecumenical relations with Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches, which resulted in many historic meetings and agreements. In January 1964, he flew to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This was the first time a reigning pontiff had flown on an airplane, the first papal pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and the first time a Pope had left Italy in more than a century.
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin encyclios. The term has been used by Catholics, Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The magisterium of the Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition". According to the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church, the task of interpretation is vested uniquely in the Pope and the bishops, though the concept has a complex history of development. Scripture and Tradition "make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church", and the magisterium is not independent of this, since "all that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is derived from this single deposit of faith".
An apostolic constitution is the most solemn form of legislation issued by the Pope.
Mystici Corporis Christi(The Mystical Body of Christ) is an encyclical issued by Pope Pius XII on 29 June 1943 during World War II. Its main topic is the Catholic Church as the Mystical Body of Christ.
Ineffabilis Deus is an apostolic constitution by Pope Pius IX. It defines the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The document was promulgated on December 8, 1854, the date of the annual Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and followed from a positive response to the encyclical Ubi primum.
The Magisterium of Pope Pius XII consists of some 1,600 mostly non-political speeches, messages, radio and television speeches, homilies, apostolic letters, and encyclicals of Pope Pius XII. His magisterium has been largely neglected or even overlooked by his biographers, who center on the policies of his pontificate.
Pope Pius XII and Russia describes relations of the Vatican with the Soviet Union, Russia, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Eastern Catholic Churches resulting in the eradication of the Church in most parts of the Soviet Union during the Stalinist era. Most persecutions of the Church occurred during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII.
Pope Pius XII and Poland includes Church relations from 1939 to 1958. Pius XII became Pope on the eve of the Second World War. The invasion of predominantly Catholic Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939 ignited the conflict and was followed soon after by a Soviet invasion of the Eastern half of Poland, in accordance with an agreement reached between the dictators Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. The Catholic Church in Poland was about to face decades of repression, both at Nazi and Communist hands. The Nazi persecution of the Catholic Church in Poland was followed by a Stalinist repression which was particularly intense through the years 1946–1956. Pope Pius XII's policies consisted in attempts to avoid World War II, extensive diplomatic activity on behalf of Poland and encouragement to the persecuted clergy and faithful.
The late years of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII were characterized by a hesitancy in personnel decisions. After a major illness in 1954, he redirected his energies from Vatican clergy to the concerns of lay people.
Fulgens corona is an encyclical by Pope Pius XII, given at St. Peter's, Rome, on 8 September 1953, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the fifteenth year of his Pontificate. The encyclical proclaims a Marian year for 1954, to commemorate the centenary of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.
The theology of Pope Pius XII is reflected in his forty-one encyclicals, as well as speeches and nearly 1000 messages, during his almost 20-year pontificate. The encyclicals Mystici corporis and Mediator Dei advanced the understanding of membership and participation in the Catholic Church. The encyclical Divino afflante Spiritu began opening the door to historical-critical biblical studies. But his magisterium was far larger and is difficult to summarize. In numerous speeches Catholic teaching is related to various aspects of life, education, medicine, politics, war and peace, the life of saints, Mary, the mother of God, things eternal and temporal.
Under Pope Pius XII, there were the several reforms of Catholic Eastern canon law applying to the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Social teachings of Pope Pius XII refers to encyclicals, apostolic constitutions and speeches by Pope Pius XII on non-theological issues involving medicine, science, education, social justice, family and sexuality, and occupations.
The Mariology of the popes is the theological study of the influence that the popes have had on the development, formulation and transformation of the Roman Catholic Church's doctrines and devotions relating to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
A dogma of the Catholic Church is defined as "a truth revealed by God, which the magisterium of the Church declared as binding". The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
The Church's Magisterium asserts that it exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging Catholics to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.
Mariological papal documents have been a major force that has shaped Roman Catholic Mariology over the centuries. Mariology is developed by theologians on the basis not only of Scripture and Tradition but also of the sensus fidei of the faithful as a whole, "from the bishops to the last of the faithful", and papal documents have recorded those developments, defining Marian dogmas, spreading doctrines and encouraging devotions within the Catholic Church.
Eastern Catholic victims of Soviet persecutions include bishops and others among the tens of thousands of victims of Soviet persecutions from 1918 to approximately 1980, under the state ideology of Marxist–Leninist atheism.
