as in letters
an official writing from the Pope to the Roman Catholic bishops
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Recent Examples of encyclicals
Ed Simon on the history of papal encyclicals.
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Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Traditionally written as letters to Catholic bishops and the wider church, encyclicals offer authoritative guidance on major moral, social, or political questions and often shape Catholic thought for generations, even influencing debates that reach far beyond the Vatican.
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Nandika Chatterjee,
Time,
26 May 2026
Rather, the two encyclicals establish a foundation of work as a human right and a societal good that applies even more in the age of AI.
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Harry Kraemer,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Here's a comparison of two encyclicals — 135 years apart — addressing technological upheaval.
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Michelle Boorstein,
Washington Post,
25 May 2026
Nearly 300 papal encyclicals have been produced since the first was authored in 1740 by Pope Benedict XIV.
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Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
This reframing is not at odds with traditional Catholic theological affirmations, as anyone who reads John Paul II’s encyclicals can see.
—
R. R. Reno,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Nov. 2018
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Traditionally written as letters to Catholic bishops and the wider church, encyclicals offer authoritative guidance on major moral, social, or political questions and often shape Catholic thought for generations, even influencing debates that reach far beyond the Vatican.
—
Nandika Chatterjee,
Time,
26 May 2026
Rather, the two encyclicals establish a foundation of work as a human right and a societal good that applies even more in the age of AI.
—
Harry Kraemer,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Here's a comparison of two encyclicals — 135 years apart — addressing technological upheaval.
—
Michelle Boorstein,
Washington Post,
25 May 2026
Nearly 300 papal encyclicals have been produced since the first was authored in 1740 by Pope Benedict XIV.
—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
This reframing is not at odds with traditional Catholic theological affirmations, as anyone who reads John Paul II’s encyclicals can see.
—
R. R. Reno,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Nov. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encyclicals
Noun
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Valentine and Suarez did not respond to letters mailed to addresses that appeared to be associated with them.
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More than 300 detainees are estimated to have signed grievance letters sent recently to facility administrators, according to advocates with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice.
Noun
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The main theme of the letters over time emphasizes long-term value creation, but the epistles have drawn criticism from the political left and right.
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While hunkered down in the trenches of World War I, a Greek scholar translated some of Paul’s epistles.
Noun
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Studies are increasingly showing a strong correlation between time spent with messages and EHRs and physician burnout rates.
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Not to lose your messages and media, set up your Signal Backup (Settings -> Backups -> Enable backups -> View recovery key -> Copy to clipboard -> Next -> Enter the recovery key -> Next -> Continue -> Choose your backup plan).
Noun
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Beulah’s not delivering world-weary pronouncements, the way Beth does.
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Converting your nonprofit to a moneymaker will do that; so will your leader’s series of smarmy pronouncements about the future.
Noun
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Prosecutors said Graves' body was partially wrapped in black garbage bags secured with duct tape, then rolled up in a rug alongside blankets, bags, pieces of mails, various items of clothing and trash.
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Tyler has been embedded in the treasurer’s office, which calculates and mails out property tax bills, for years.
Noun
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That conversation produced the kind of alignment that doesn’t come from memos or mission statements.
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Down by her green toes, Melanie Griffith’s Staten Island secretary Tess McGill ferries to Manhattan to type memos for important men.
Noun
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Social media sites used for hateful comments Pumphrey made threatening posts on the social media platform YouTube and other social media sites, according to the guilty plea.
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Valdez deposited Pinky at a warehouse belonging to the site’s owner, showing him the Facebook posts of Pinky’s removal.
Noun
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Historian Pauline Maier has identified some 90 declarations sent to the Continental Congress by towns and counties throughout the colonies.
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At first glance, these expressions might seem triumphalist declarations that link the nation’s success over the past 250 years with Christian faith.
Cite this Entry
“Encyclicals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encyclicals. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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