Wikipedia:Today's featured list/October 11, 2019
Pope John XXIII issued eight papal encyclicals during his five-year reign as pope of the Catholic Church from 1958 to 1963. An encyclical is a letter issued by the pope that is usually addressed to Catholic bishops or laity in a particular area or of the whole world. Encyclicals may condemn errors, point out threats to faith and morals, exhort faithful practices or provide remedies for present and future dangers to the church. Pope John XXIII's first encyclical, Ad Petri Cathedram, was issued eight months into his pontificate. The second, Sacerdotii nostri primordia, commemorated the centenary of the death of St. John Vianney, while Grata recordatio considered the use of the Rosary. Mater et magistra, the fifth encyclical, carried forward ideas from Leo XIII's Rerum novarum (1891), which had been issued 70 years prior, as well as from Pius XI's Quadragesimo anno (1931). It is one of the longest encyclicals, at more than 25,000 words. John XXIII's final encyclical, Pacem in terris, was written two months before his death. It was the first in history to have been addressed to "all men of good will", rather than only the clergy and laity of the church, as well as hailed as "one of the most profound and significant documents of our age". (Full list...)