What is a letter by the pope called?

Answer 1

an encyclical

Answer 2

There are several kinds:

An Encyclical Letter is a circular or general letter written by the pope to all bishops, the faithful and people of goodwill. It generally deals with a broad topic of faith, morals, or society, and can be quite lengthy. It is the highest form of teaching document the pope can issue on his own, and usually does not entail legislative authority.

A Common Declaration is issued by the pope in conjunction with the patriarch or presiding bishop of another Christian communion, on matters of ecumenical and ecclesiastical importance to both churches, usually affirming fundamental doctrinal issues that had previously been understood to be at odds.

An Apostolic Letter is a less authoritative, and usually less general, form of letter from the pope which may deal with a matter of doctrine, or may be a declaration of a papal act such as naming a church a basilica, or declaring a person to be Venerable.

An Apostolic Exhortation is another form of letter, which is usually used to communicate the conclusions of the pope made after considerations of the recommendations of an episcopal synod.

Motu Proprio is not a type of document, so much as a characteristic of a document. It means that it was issued by a pope in his own initiative and not in response to a request or the action of a Council, synod or the college of bishops. It can be any kind of document or letter.

Papal Bull is a general term (usually for historical documents) to refer to any document sealed with the papal seal, usually in lead (Latin bullire, "to boil" - to soften the seal for imprinting).

Answer 3

It is just called a letter unless the bishop who sends it happens to be the pope. In that case it is called an encyclical. An encyclical is a major work from the pope discussing various topics, such as social justice. Another type of letter from the pope is a motu proprio which is generally much shorter than an encyclical and is meant to be instructional in certain Church procedures. A motu proprio may be addressed to the whole Church, to part of it, or to some individuals.

Answer 4

A letter to the entire Church is called an encyclical and is usually a lengthy treatise on a broad topic. A shorter letter that addresses a specific topic or question is called a motu proprio.

Answer 5

An Encyclical. In the early church, they were also known as Epistles.

Answer 6

You say what is on your mind. Otherwise, why write at all? Be respectful, but say what you need to say. A bishop is an administrator, not a god or miracle worker.