Pastoral Letter

A pastoral letter, often called simply a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy, the laity, or both, within a diocese, containing general admonition, instruction, consolation, or direction for behavior in particular circumstances. In many episcopal churches, clergy are required to read a superior bishop's pastoral letter out to their congregations, and the Catholic Church regularly issues such letters at particular points in the liturgical year, especially at the start of a fast. In non-episcopal Protestant churches, a pastoral letter is any open letter a pastor addresses to his own congregation, including ones customarily issued at set seasons by a Presbyterian moderator or the head of a Congregational or Baptist union; the Armenian term for the genre, kondak, is also translated as encyclical, statement, or decree.