Download Pope Francis’ Encyclical on PDF, Kindle, Nook, iPad and More!
Instead of our usual weekly giveaway, today I'm distributing Pope Francis' new encyclical. At 5:00am ET this morning (11:00am Rome time), the Pope released Lumen Fidei (Light of Faith). Described as "the work of four hands," the document originated with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI before Pope Francis "made it his own."
An encyclical is simply an open letter from the pope to the entire Church. It comes from the Latin word encyclicus meaning "general" or "encircling" and carries significant authoritative weight. For the pope, encyclicals are second in importance only to Apostolic Constitutions.
Though most popes release several encyclicals during their pontificate, it's unusual for a pope to release one so quickly. It took Pope Francis only four months, fewer than any pope in modern history.
It's also unusual for an encyclical to feature two major emphases. Lumen Fidei reflects on the theological virtue of Faith (Pope Benedict devoted encyclicals to Hope and Charity.) But Lumen Fidei also sums up and expands on the recent Synod on the New Evangelization. The Pope typically releases an Apostolic Exhoration after each synod, such as Evangelii Nuntiandi (Paul VI), Christifideles Laici (John Paul II), and Verbum Domini (Benedict XVI). However, Pope Francis didn't think it was a good idea to release an encyclical and an Apostolic Exhortation so close together, deciding instead to cover both topics in one document.
This morning the Vatican posted the full text of Lumen Fidei online. Yet in case you're not a fan of parchment background, I've converted it to many other popular formats. Enjoy!
(PS. If you're more of a paper fan, Ignatius Press is taking pre-orders for the hardcover edition.)
Read Lumen Fidei in Word
- Right-click the graphic below and choose "Save-As" or "Save Link As" to save the document on your computer.
- Double-click the Word document and begin reading!
Read Lumen Fidei in PDF
- Right-click the graphic below and choose "Save-As" or "Save Link As" to save the document on your computer.
- Double-click the PDF document and begin reading!
Read Lumen Fidei on Kindle
- Right-click the graphic below and choose "Save-As" or "Save Link As" to save the document on your computer.
- Visit the Manage your Devices page at Manage Your Kindle.
- Find the Send-to-Kindle email address associated with your device (e.g. name@kindle.com).
- Send an email to that address and attach the "LumenFidei.mobi" file you downloaded in Step 1. It's not necessary to include a subject in the email.
Read Lumen Fidei on Nook
- Right-click the graphic below and choose "Save-As" or "Save Link As" to save the document on your computer.
- Plug your Nook into your computer.
- Go to My Computer, right-click on the Nook icon, then choose "Explore."
- Locate your eBook folder and then open the "My Documents" folder within it.
- Leaving this window open, go find the "LumenFidei.epub" file you downloaded in Step 1 and drag it into this "My Documents" folder.
- Disconnect your Nook from your computer.
- Turn on your Nook and choose "Search for New Content". The document Lumen Fidei should show up in the My Documents folder on your Nook.
Read Lumen Fidei on iPad/iPhone
There are several ways to add Lumen Fidei to your Apple device. One way is to download the book below and add it via iTunes. Or download the Kindle version above, mail it to your Kindle email address, and then view it through the Kindle app.
(Text credit: Vatican.va, Image credit: News.va)
