ecumenical
/ˌiːkjʊˈmɛnɪk(ə)l
/ /ɛkjʊˈmɛnɪk(ə)l/adjective
1Representing a number of different Christian Churches: he was a member of ecumenical committees...
- The WCC is an ecumenical body which represents 337 Protestant churches.
- Basic texts for the liturgy were translated by ecumenical committees for use in the various churches.
- It is an ecumenical project involving different local churches.
Synonyms
non-denominational, non-sectarian, universal, catholic, all-embracing, all-inclusive
1.1Promoting or relating to unity among the world’s Christian Churches: the ecumenical movement...
- Dunn is a Roman Catholic ecumenical author, who writes for the pluralistic contemporary Christian Church.
- Sending or lending married pastors to Catholic churches is a generous ecumenical gesture.
- These different views as to the nature of the church represent the most challenging subject in ecumenical discussion.
Derivatives
ecumenically
- One of the more helpful renamed entries is ‘Daily Prayer’ rather than ‘Canonical Hours,’ a change that reflects both current usage and a more ecumenically friendly approach to the topic.
- Perhaps the most ecumenically minded Catholic independent schools are the twenty-one members of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, and many Jesuit schools also have substantial non-Catholic enrollments.
- A group of ecumenically inclined Jewish and Catholic scholars, who read an early script of the movie, complained about its historical anachronisms and potential for reanimating the slander of deicide against the Jewish people.
Origin
Late 16th century (in the sense 'belonging to the universal Church'): via late Latin from Greek oikoumenikos from oikoumenē 'the (inhabited) earth'.