Going Papal

During yesterdays'Rochester Chesterton Conference (The father leo Hetzler Conference), one of the speaker, Ted Janiszewski mentioned reading an encyclical by Pope Leo XIII. I neglected to write down the title of the encyclical he mentioned (regretfully). 

But it got me thinking.

I've mentioned previously that I wanted to up the quality of the works I'm reading - getting in more classics and theology.

What about encyclicals?

I have completely read a few over the years -

Pacem in Terris by Pope John XXIII
Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI
Evangelium Vitae by Pope John Paul II
Laudato Si Pope Francis I

I have read part of others, but not in their entirety. That's a shame. There are so many other important encyclicals that as a wannabe educated Catholic I should have read. 

So I went online and compiled a list based on ones cited frequently on lists of the most important or influential encyclicals, ones that I have not yet completely read.

Aeterni Patris by Pope Leo XIII

Humanum Genus (On Freemasonry) by Pope Leo XIII
Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII
Providentissimus Deus by Pope Leo XIII
Pascendi Dominici Gregis by Pope Pius X
Quas Primas by Pope Pius XI
Casti Connubii, Pope Pius XI
Humani Generis by Pope Pius XII
Redemptor Hominis by Pope John Paul II
Veritatis Splendor by Pope John Paul II
Fides et Ratio by Pope John Paul II
Caritas in Veritate by Pope Benedict XVI
Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI

That's quite a list. Fortunately, the texts of them are online.

Add some of them them to my "to-read" pile! 

Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII is one I've always meant to read, so that will be the first.   

Pax et bonum