Q. 1. What is a "Papal Bull"?

A. 1. In the Roman Catholic Church, an official "Papal Bull" is the papal seal that is affixed to formal proclamation issued by the pope to the Catholic world. The name originated from the lead seal (bulla) that was traditionally affixed to such documents.

The papal seal affixed to most bulls was made of lead and was inscribed with the name of the reigning pope on one side and representations of the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul on the other side.