From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishencyclicalen‧cyc‧li‧cal /ɪnˈsɪklɪkəl/ noun [countable] RRCa letter sent by the Pope to all Roman Catholic bishops
Examples from the Corpus
encyclical• If only Miss Manners had promulgated, like the pope, an encyclical on proper gay conduct.• The great majority of those who still practiced their faith disregarded the encyclical.• A large minority of bishops at a 1980 synod on the family, meanwhile, asked that the encyclical be reconsidered.• Tom believed that the encyclical was poorly reasoned, but his objections were more pastoral than they were doctrinal.• The combination of fallout from the Council and disillusionment with the encyclical was more than many priests could bear.Origin encyclical (1600-1700) Late Latin encyclicus, from Greek enkyklios “circular, general”, from kyklos “circle” 