pastoralis

Pastoralis is a Latin adjective meaning "of or relating to a pastor" or "pastoral." It is formed from the noun pastor (shepherd) with the suffix -alis, and it has been used in Latin to describe things associated with pastoral care and the shepherding role of church leaders.

In ecclesiastical Latin, pastoralis is employed to denote the church’s pastoral dimension—duties, care, and guidance provided to a Christian community. Common compound phrases include cura pastoralis (pastoral care), munus pastorale (pastoral office), and actio pastoralis (pastoral action). The term is typically found in Latin liturgical, theological, or administrative texts to emphasize the practical shepherding mission of clergy rather than doctrinal authority alone. It agrees in gender, number, and case with the nouns it modifies, as with other Latin adjectives.

Beyond religious usage, pastoralis may appear as a descriptive epithet in scholarly Latin texts or in historical documents to convey a sense of pastoral or shepherd-related imagery. In modern English-language writing, the term is rarely used in isolation and is usually rendered as "pastoral." When encountered in non-Latin contexts, it generally serves to preserve the sense of a Latin original rather than function as a standalone English term.

See also: Pastoral, Pastoral care, Pastoral letter.