La ‘fabbrica’ delle encicliche

Abstract

The publication of an encyclical is a defined moment of the ordinary papal magisterium. It involves a plurality of actors and procedures shrouded in secrecy. The opening of the records of Pius XII’s pontificate at the Vatican Archives allows us to uncover the workings behind his encyclicals: what were the motivations, who suggested the content of the encyclical, were there ghost writers, editors (mainly Antonio Bacci), revisers, and translators? All those who worked at the encyclicals operated under the direction of Giovanni Battista Montini (later of Angelo Dell’Acqua) and the meticulous control of a Pontiff who was open to demands from below and the needs of the Church and Society.

Keywords

• Papal Encyclicals’ drafting process. Pope Pius XII. Pope’s ghost writers. Roman Curia. Roman Magisterium