First Sunday of Lent
March 9, 2014




The Glory of These Forty Days: Click here to listen



Prayer:

Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in
the understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects.

Scripture:

Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
(Matthew 4:4)

Question of the Day:

Are all writings of the pope known as encyclical letters, or are there other documents one should know about?

Although one of the most common of papal documents known to the vast majority of Catholic people is the encyclical letter, yes, there are other types of documents. Some come from the pope himself, while others are issued from other Vatican sources. The main documents can be divided into legislative (binding in law) and non-legislative texts. The first type includes the following:

(1) Decretal Letter: This is the most solemn form of papal pronouncement, used to make known an article of faith. For example: the canonization of a saint.

(2) Apostolic Constitution: Issued by the pope himself, this is a most solemn legal document and usually deals with matters of Church doctrine or discipline or other important questions. For example, the 1983 Code of Canon Law was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in the Apostolic Constitution Sacrae Disciplinae Legis,


 (3) Motu proprios: This form of legislative text is the most commonly used document today. Written on the pope’s own initiative and directed to the Church at large, it deals with vital Church matters.


Non-legislative documents include the following:

(1) Encyclical Letters: These are letters of the pope directed to either a very specific group of individuals or to a large audience. Encyclicals are not binding in law and usually deal with matters of morals or social issues, whereby advice is given or greater light shed on doctrinal questions. This type of papal document belongs to what is known as the pope’s ordinary teaching authority. For example: Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), 1993.


(2) Apostolic Letters: Usually these are sent to a particular person or groups ( for example, to a Bishop’s Conference) and outline social and pastoral teachings. For example, Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Letter, Octagesimo Adveniens , 1968 to Maurice Cardinal Roy, Archbishop of Quebec on the 80^th Anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s Encyclical, Rerum Novarum.

(3) Apostolic Exhortations: In more recent years, this sort of document has been issued at the conclusion of Synods of Bishops stating the teachings put forward by such synods. One could call them advisory documents of sort. For example, Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation, Familiaris Consorto, (The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World), 1981.

It is important to keep in mind that although these three secondary documents are not law-binding texts, they are not to be totally disregarded as having no importance. These documents usually include important Church teaching and should not be dismissed as having no relevance.

In addition to the above-mentioned documents, one could point out other significant papal documents used at appropriate times and occasions. These are common declarations, mutual letters, congratulatory letters, homilies, addresses and various other types of messages, to name but a few.

Furthermore, it needs to be mentioned that The Documents of the Second Vatican Council are regarded as legislative texts and take the form of constitutions (pastoral/dogmatic), decrees, declarations and messages. Although not legislative in nature, the Roman Curia also issues various types of documents including decrees, instructions, letters, directories, norms, statutes, etc.