The word oecumenical (also spelt ecumenical) comes
from the Greek word “oikoumenikos” meaning” of or
belonging to the world.” Sometimes we see oecumenical
used in references to Church Councils; the second Vatican
Council, for example, was an oecumenical council. In such
a case it refers to all the Bishops in union with the Pope
meeting together, and decisions made in such a council are
authoritative, as an oecumenical council is part of the
Magisterium or teaching authority of the Church.
However when we look up the word oecumenism in the
Oxford Dictionary the definition is “Belief or striving for
worldwide unity of Christians, transcending differences of
doctrine.” It is here that things can get tricky and even
dangerous if we are not careful. Oecumenical dialogue
with non-Catholics should never be reduced to a “you’re ok,
I’m ok” attitude in which all variants of Christian belief and
practice are considered equally valid.
For the late Pope John Paul II the primary focus of
Catholic Oecumenical dialogue was with the Eastern
Orthodox Churches with whom we are linked by Apostolic
Succession as well as valid Sacraments of Holy Order
(Priesthood) and the Eucharist. Second to the Orthodox
churches come the non-Catholic Christian denominations
that grew out of the so-called Reformation of the sixteenth
century. The natural starting point for oecumenical
relations with these denominations is the Apostles Creed,
mindful of the fact that the farther away from the Eucharist
any Christian denomination may be, the farther they are
from the Fullness of the Truth. This does not mean that we
should treat such denominations with anything other than
consideration and respect.
To the extent that a
denomination professes the Creed and its members seek
to unite themselves to Christ by living out the Creed, that
denomination is to be encouraged and lauded. In any
oecumenical endeavour our ultimate goal should be an end
to all the tragic divisions among Christians so that we may
all be one under the Vicar of Christ on earth, the Pope.
Having been raised in the Lutheran and Presbyterian
denominations, and becoming Catholic at the age of 28,
this is a topic that touches me closely. From a purely
historical point of view it was clear to me that the Catholic
Church was founded by Jesus Christ. I came to the
conclusion that one would best be a Christian by belonging
to the Church founded by Christ rather than an offshoot
founded by Thomas Cramner or Martin Luther or Jean
Calvin, or anybody else. My own personal view of
oecumenism is that anyone can become Catholic.