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What does ECUMENISM mean? ECUMENISM meaning - ECUMENISM definition - ECUMENISM explanation. What is the meaning of ECUMENISM? What is the definition of ECUMENISM? What does ECUMENISM stand for? What is ECUMENISM meaning? What is ECUMENISM definition?

Ecumenism refers to efforts by Christians of different church traditions to develop closer relationships and better understandings. It is also often used about efforts towards the visible and organic unity of different Christian churches in some form.

The adjective ecumenical can also be applied to any interdenominational initiative that encourages greater cooperation among Christians and their churches, whether or not the specific aim of that effort is full, visible unity.

The terms "ecumenism" and "ecumenical" come from the Greek oikoumene, which means "the whole inhabited world", and was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire. The ecumenical vision comprises both the search for the visible unity of the Church (Ephesians 4:3) and the "whole inhabited earth" (Matthew 24:14) as the concern of all Christians.

In Christianity the qualification ecumenical is originally (and still) used in terms such as "Ecumenical council" and "Ecumenical patriarch" in the meaning of pertaining to the totality of the larger Church (such as the Catholic Church or the Orthodox Church) rather than being restricted to one of its constituent local churches or dioceses. Used in this original sense, the term carries no connotation of re-uniting the historically separated Christian denominations, but presumes a unity of local congregations in a worldwide communion.