Pope Francis (born 1936; reigned 2013–2025) issued four encyclicals during his twelve-year pontificate. An encyclical is a formal letter issued by the pope, addressed in modern practice to the world's Catholic bishops and, increasingly, to all people regardless of faith. Titles are drawn from the incipit—the opening words of the Latin text.
Francis used the form sparingly. Four encyclicals in twelve years places him among the least prolific encyclical-writers of the modern papacy, yet each document attracted unusual attention outside Catholic circles. The first, Lumen fidei (2013), was substantially drafted by Pope Benedict XVI before his resignation; Francis completed it and described the result as "written with four hands". The second, Laudato si' (2015), addressed environmental ethics and the link between ecological destruction and global inequality; it became one of the most discussed Catholic documents in decades. COP21 delegates and climate officials credited it with providing the moral framework for the negotiations that produced the Paris Agreement. Laurence Tubiana, France's climate change ambassador at the Paris negotiations and a key architect of the Agreement, said Francis "reframed totally the faith message around nature" and that his leadership "played a crucial role for leading us to the success at COP21".Fratelli tutti (2020) took human fraternity as its subject, invoking the example of Francis of Assisi and engaging directly with contemporary nationalism and populism. The fourth, Dilexit nos (2024), departed from Francis's previous encyclicals in scope and audience, focusing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a symbol of divine and human love and addressing itself primarily to Catholics rather than to all people.
Read together, the four documents share a consistent concern with what Francis has called the "peripheries": the poor, the marginalised, the natural world. Where earlier modern encyclicals often addressed Catholics alone, three of Francis's four were directed explicitly beyond the Church: Laudato si''' to "every person living on this planet", and Fratelli tutti'' to "all people of good will, regardless of their religious convictions".
Encyclicals Title English rendering Principal theme Addressees Date Text Lumen fidei The Light of Faith Faith as a communal and historical gift; completed from a draft by Pope Benedict XVI Bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and the lay faithful · Laudato si' Praise Be to You Environmental ethics, integral ecology, and climate justice Every person living on this planet · Fratelli tutti All Brothers Human fraternity, social friendship, and rejection of nationalism All people of good will · Dilexit nos He Loved Us The Sacred Heart of Jesus; love as the centre of the Gospel Bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and the lay faithful ·
References
External links Official writings of Pope Francis – Vatican.va