ECMENISM AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

By “Ecumenism” we understand the desire many Christians feel today for contact with believers of other confessions and for community of faith.

“Ecumenism” explicitly includes a willingness to learn
from the religions tradition and community of others
in order to participate even more intensely in the
fullness which Christ wants to give the world in and
through his church, and to realize together the one
church which is to be the ecumenical inhabitable
house of the lord for the entire world”

The Catholic church has always intended the unity of all Christians. It has conceived Christian unity as the return of lost sheep to the one sheepfold of Christ where Peter was the chief shepherd.
“Catholic Ecumenism strives towards the participation
of catholics in the one great movement towards unity
which the Holyspirit has called into being throughout
the entire Christian world in our time”

Ecumenical movement was prompted by the Holy Spirit, the one spirit, of the body of Christ, it is one single movement, implanting in the hearts of Christians of every denomination the urge to come together in a single communion. This single communion is made visible in the single fellowship of the blessed Trinity.
“The Lord of Ages nevertheless wisely and patiently
follows out the plan of his grace on our behalf, sinners
that we are. In recent times he has begun to
bestow more generously upon divided Christians
remorse over their divisions and longing for unity” .

The part of individual Christians and of all Christian denominations is simply to follow the call of the Holy Spirit and take their part in the general movement towards unity which he has created. The aim is the same for all to seek fullness and catholicity, the full flowering of the christian truth, unity and charity.

“This grace is also among our separated brethens
There is increases from day to day a movement,
fostered by the grace of the Holy spirit, for the
restoration of unity among Christians. Taking part
Everywhere large number have felt the impulse of
in this movement, which is called ecumenical, are
those who invoke the triune God and confess Jesus
as Lord and saviour”

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only son into the world, so that we might live through him (1Jn 4:9). Not only for the nation, but together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad( John 11:52.)

1.3 ECUMENISM AND THE PRE-VATICAN II CHURCH
The fact that modern ecumenical movement began among the non-catholic does not mean that the catholic church was in no way involved in the search for the reunion of all baptized. Since the various separations, the catholic church had never ceased to work for the return of the dissident Christians to the fold. The call for the return of the separated brethren to the Roman Catholic church characterized the official attitude of the catholic church to the ecumenical movement up to the second Vatican council.

“Pope Pius (IX) had invited the dissident
Eastern churches to the first council of
the Vatican, asking them to take part in
the council as they did in the councils
of hyons and florence”

Although the invitation of pope plus (IX) was not honoured. There were other attempts made by other popes to seek for the return of the separated brethren. During the time of pope Leo XIII he made the return of the separated brethrens one of the aims of his pontificate and took steps to invite separated brethrens especially those of the East to reunion. In 1887, he wrote to the Armenians requesting for their return.
In 1896, he also wrote the Encyelical letter on christian unity, satis Cognitum. But all his efforts did not bear fruit.

“In the context of the modern ecumenical movement,
which took it’s worldwide dimension from the
Edinburgh conference of 1910, the official attitude
of the catholic church was negative and diffident.
The catholic church declined in the invitation to join
in then proposed world conference on faith and order”

The Catholic Church did not take part in the first world conference because the movement was characterized by religious indifferentism and relativism and by a too eschatological conception of the unity of the church. Religious indifferentism would consider all religions equally good and this would lead to naturalism and atheism. Catholics could not take part in such idea. There were other conferences the catholic church did not participate because of some obvious reasons.

“On December 20, 1949, the Holy see
issued the instruction Ecelesia Catholica. This
document is regarded as the first signigicant
official opening of the catholic church to the
ecumenical movement going on in the
non-catholic Christian world. According to the
document, the ecumenical movement was inspired
by the grace of the Holy spirit and was a cause of
holy joy to the sons of the catholic church. Catholic
could discuss matters of faith and moral with the
non-catholic as equals”

Although Catholics were warned to be careful so as not comprise their doctrines. Permission was still sort from the Holy see for participation in the movement. It should be noted that in spite of the official opposition of the catholic church to the ecumenical movement going on among the non Catholics, Catholics were becoming more and more involved in the ecumenical movement. The awakening and building up of ecumenical consciousness among Catholics could be atttributed to the heroic work of priests and lay people, mostly theologians, who risked official displeasure in order to join in what many Christians saw as the work of God.