
or charter issued by a Pope
of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla
that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it.
Papal bulls were originally issued by the pope for many kinds of communication of a public nature, but after the fifteenth century, only for the most formal or solemn of occasions. Modern scholars have retroactively used the term "Bull" to describe any elaborate papal document issued in the form of a decree
or privilege
(solemn or simple), and to some less elaborate ones issued in the form of a letter.
1054 Three Roman legates break relations between Western and Eastern Christian Churches through the act of placing an invalidly-issued Papal Bull of Excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia during Saturday afternoon divine liturgy. Historians frequently describe the event as the start of the East-West Schism.
1252 Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ''ad exstirpanda'', which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition.
1256 The Grand Union of the Augustinian order formed when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull ''Licet ecclesiae catholicae''.
1256 The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull ''Licet ecclesiae catholicae''.
1302 Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull ''Unam sanctam'' (One Faith).
1343 Pope Clement VI issues the Bull ''Unigenitus''.
1348 Papal bull of Pope Clement VI protecting the Jews accused to have caused the Black Death.
1377 Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe.
1484 Pope Innocent VIII issues the ''Summis desiderantes'', a papal bull that deputizes Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger as inquisitors to root out alleged witchcraft in Germany and leads to one of the most oppressive witch hunts in European history.
1503 James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor are married according to a Papal Bull by Pope Alexander VI. A Treaty of Everlasting Peace between Scotland and England signed on that occasion results in a peace that lasts ten years.

or charter issued by a Pope
of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla
that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it.
Papal bulls were originally issued by the pope for many kinds of communication of a public nature, but after the fifteenth century, only for the most formal or solemn of occasions. Modern scholars have retroactively used the term "Bull" to describe any elaborate papal document issued in the form of a decree
or privilege
(solemn or simple), and to some less elaborate ones issued in the form of a letter. Popularly, the name is used for any papal document that contains a metal seal.
Papal bulls have been in use at least since the sixth century, but the term was not first used until around the middle of the thirteenth century and then only for internal un-official papal record keeping purposes; the term had become official by the fifteenth century, when one of the offices of the Papal chancery
was named the "register of bulls" (registrum bullarum).
Today, the bull is the only written communication in which the Pope will refer to himself as episcopus servus servorum Dei
, meaning "Bishop, Servant of the Servants of God." For instance, Benedict XVI
, when he issues a decree in bull form, will begin the document with Benedictus, Episcopus, Servus Servorum Dei. While it used to always bear a metal seal, it now does so only on the most solemn occasions. It is today the most formal type of letters patent
issued by the Vatican
Chancery in the name of the Pope.
Format
A bull's format began with one line in tall elongated letters containing three elements: the Pope's name, the Papal title episcopus servus servorum Dei, meaning 'bishop, servant of the servants of God', and the few Latin words that constituted the incipitfrom which the bull would also take its name for record keeping purposes, but which might not be directly indicative of the bull's purpose.
The body of the text had no specific conventions for its formatting; it was often very simple in layout. The closing section consisted of a short datum, mentioning the place it was issued, the day of the month and the year of the pope's pontificate and signatures, near which was attached the seal.
For the most solemn bulls, the Pope would sign the document himself, in which case he used the formula Ego N. Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus (I, N., Bishop of the Catholic Church). Following the signature in this case would be an elaborate monogram
, the signatures of any witnesses, and then the seal. Nowadays, a member of the Roman Curia
signs the document on behalf of the Pope, usually the Cardinal Secretary of State
, and thus the monogram is omitted.
Seal
The most distinctive characteristic of a bull was the metal seal, which was usually made of lead, but on very solemn occasions was made of gold
(as Byzantine imperial deeds often were). It depicted the founders of the Church of Rome
, the apostles Peter
and Paul
, identified by the letters Sanctus PAulus and Sanctus PEtrus. The name of the issuing pope is on the reverse side. This was then attached to the document either by cords of hemp
(in the case of letters of justice, and executory) or by red and yellow silk
(in the case of letters of grace) that was looped through slits in the vellum
of the document. Bulla is the name of this seal, because whether of wax, lead, or gold, the material making the seal had to be melted to soften it and take on an impression: Latin bullire, "to boil".
Since the late eighteenth century, the lead bulla has been replaced with a red ink stamp of Saints Peter and Paul with the reigning Pope's name encircling the picture, though very formal letters, e.g. the bull of Pope John XXIII
convoking the Second Vatican Council
, still receive the lead seal.
Original papal bulls exist in quantity only after the eleventh century onward when the transition from fragile papyrus
to the more durable parchment
was made. None survives in entirety from before 819. Some original leaden seals, however, still survive from as early as the 6th century.
Content
In terms of content, the bull is simply the format in which a decree of the Pope appears. Any subject may be treated in a bull, and many were and are, including statutory decrees, episcopal appointments, dispensations, excommunication
s, apostolic constitution
s, canonization
s and convocation
s. The bull was the exclusive letter format from the Vatican until the fourteenth century, when the papal brief
began to appear. The brief is the less formal form of papal communication and is authenticated with a wax impression (now a red ink impression) of the Ring of the Fisherman
. There has never been an exact distinction of usage between a bull and a brief, but nowadays most letters, including encyclical
s, are issued as briefs.
See also
- AbbreviatorAbbreviatorAbbreviator, plural Abbreviators in English or Abbreviatores in Latin, also called Breviators, were a body of writers in the papal chancery, whose business was to sketch out and prepare in due form the pope's bulls, briefs and consistorial decrees before these are written out in extenso by the...
- Bull of the CrusadeBull of the CrusadeA Bull of the Crusade was a Papal bull that granted indulgences to those who took part in the crusades against Muslims, pagans or sometimes heretics...
- Bulla (seal)Bulla (seal)Bulla , is a type of seal impression. It comes in two forms: metal and clay.- Clay bullae :The original bulla was a lump of clay molded around a cord and stamped with a seal...
- EdictEdictAn edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism. The Pope and various micronational leaders are currently the only persons who still issue edicts.-Notable edicts:...
- FatwaFatwaA fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
- Golden BullGolden BullA Golden Bull or chrysobull was a golden ornament representing a seal , attached to a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The term was originally coined for the golden seal itself but came to be applied to the entire decree...
- Great Seal of the RealmGreat Seal of the RealmThe Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom is a seal that is used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of important state documents...
- Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
- Letters PatentLetters patentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
- List of papal bulls
- ProclamationProclamationA proclamation is an official declaration.-England and Wales:In English law, a proclamation is a formal announcement , made under the great seal, of some matter which the King in Council or Queen in Council desires to make known to his or her subjects: e.g., the declaration of war, or state of...
- UkaseUkaseA ukase , in Imperial Russia, was a proclamation of the tsar, government, or a religious leader that had the force of law...
Sources and external links
- "Bull". In Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
- Albert, C.S. “Bull.” Lutheran Cyclopedia. New York: Scribner, 1899. p. 67
- Papal Encyclicals at Vatican
- Papal Encyclicals Online
- Chambers, Ephraim. "Bull." Cyclopaedia. 1728. (on-line)
- List of Conciliar documents at the Theology Library
- Cherubini Laertius: Magnum Bullarium Romanum
Attribution