Why Ecumenism?

The Christian Conscience - Apologetics Page

In spite of the clear teaching of Jesus Christ and the New Testament, the one church of Jesus Christ has been divided. Catholics realize that this is a direct violation of the will of God, and is reflected by the Second Vatican Council in their Decree on Ecumenism:

Without doubt, this discord openly contradicts the will of Christ, provides a stumbling block to the world, and inflicts damage on the most holy cause of proclaiming the good news to every creature.

This same decree presents God's solution to this situation, the ecumenical movement:

...there increases from day to day a movement, fostered by the grace of the Holy Spirit, for the restoration of unity among Christians. Taking part in this movement, which is called ecumenical, are those who invoke the Triune God and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Ecumenism, defined as "worldwide Christian unity or cooperation", is not a new subject to Christianity, as the idea of a universal (catholic) church dates back to the times of the New Testament. Jesus Christ referred constantly to the unity His church should have:

"There shall be one flock and one shepherd."

"I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me." (John 17:20-23)

And St. Paul often wrote about a unified and universal community:

I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment

"The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the same loaf." (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)

"I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humanity and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."(Ephesians 4:1-6)

And so, we see that at the foundation of all Christianity lies the building blocks of cooperation, love and peace between all the followers of Christ. It is extremely important that this cooperation and love be fostered amongst Christians, for to deny this relationship between the children of God is to deny all that Christ taught, and all that we, as Christians, believe in and preach about.

In Pope John Paul II's encyclical Ut Unum Sint ("That They May Be One"), we read:

No one is unaware of the challenge which all this poses to believers. They cannot fail to meet this challenge. Indeed, how could they refuse to do everything possible, with God's help, to break down the walls of division and distrust, to overcome obstacles and prejudices which thwart the proclamation of the Gospel of salvation in the Cross of Jesus, the one Redeemer of man, of every individual?

So how can we be more ecumenical? How can we reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ? That same Second Vatican Council which acknowledges this problem also lays down a solid guideline on how Catholics should represent themselves and their church:

Let all Christ's faithful remember that the more purely they stive to live according to the gospel, the more they are fostering and even practicing Christian unity

Second, Catholics can genuinely learn and receive support from other Christians. In fact, Catholics are encouraged to study the beliefs and backgrounds of other Christian churches in order to understand them better and to meet individually or in groups to pray with other Christians. (UR, no. 4)

Third, in discussing our beliefs with other Christians, Catholics should state the teachings of the Catholic Church clearly and non-defensively. As the Decree on Ecumenism instructs, Catholics should avoid a "false conciliator approach" in presenting Catholic belief "which harms the purity of Catholic doctrine and obscures its assured genuine meaning". This decree also encourages Catholics to explain their beliefs "profoundly and precisely, in ways and in terminology which our separated brethren too can really understand." (UR, no. 11)

In addition, we must seek forgiveness and give forgiveness to our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters. Separation from the Catholic Church is of the past, and our brothers and sisters in Christ are baptized, believe in the Trinity and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They have the right to be "honored by the title of Christian, and are properly regarded as brothers and sisters in the Lord by the sons and daughters of the Catholic church." (UR, no. 3)

And finally, Catholics are encouraged to join with all Christians in professing to the whole world our "faith in God, one and three, in the incarnate Son of God, our Redeemer and Lord." Most importantly, our cooperation in matters of social justice is essential. This is possibly the most visible of all the initiatives we can take in our journey of ecumenical outreach, and the one which offers the most potential for a strong, solid cooperative foundation between the Catholic church and the Protestant churches. (UR, no. 12)

For more on ecumenism, see "Basics of the Faith: A Catholic Catechism" by Alan Schreck.

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