Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index A Papal bull is a written communication from the Vatican Chancery, originally sealed with lead (sometimes with precious metal, now more commonly with red ink). The term derived from the Latin bulla referring to the boiled appearance of the seal. There has never been an exact distinction of usage between a bull and other forms of communication, such as a Papal brief. Examples of papal bulls Omne Datum Optimum 1139 Milites Templi 1144 - Celestine II Militia Dei 1145 - Eugenius III Clericis Laicos 1296 - Boniface VIII Unam Sanctam 1302 - Boniface VIII Summis desiderantes 1484 - Innocent VIII Regimini militantis September 27, 1540 - Paul III Injunctum nobis March 14, 1543 - Paul III In Coena Domini 1568 - Pius V Regnans in Excelsis 1570 - Pius V Gratia Divina 1656 See also: Abbreviator External link Papal bulls Papal Encyclicals at Vatican Papal Encyclicals Online This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.