Pope John Paul II issued 14 Papal encyclicals during his reign as Pope of the Catholic Church for over 26 years, from his election on 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005. Encyclicals (from Latin "encyclia", from the Greek "en kyklo, ", meaning "general" or "encircling") were originally circular letters sent to all the churches of a particular area in the early Christian church.