MIŞCAREA ECUMENICĂ
THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT
Samuel Adrian CABA
Direcţia Judeţeană pentru Cultură, Culte şi Patrimoniu Naţional, Arad
Abstract
The ecumenism is a religious movement that aims to the reunion of all christian churches into one. The origin of the word seems to come from the Greek word „Oikumenike”, that refers to the populated world and specifically refers to the Roman Empire. There still is the possibility that this word comes from the latin word „oecumenicus” or the French „oecumenique”. The modern ecumenical movement was initiated in 1910 by the Conference from Edinburgh (Scottland), followed by the one from 1923 from Oxford. At the Conference from Amsterdam, in 1948 one decided upon the foundation of the “World Council of the Church” residing in Geneva, also called the Ecumenical Council of the Church. Today, it has 348 of member churches and it is represented by a little more than a quarter of the Christians from the entire world. The Ecumenical Council of the Church is not a mega-church, but an environment of discussions and dialogue and the decisions are to be taken by the member churches.
In 1959 is founded the Conference of the European Churches, that is an ecumenical movement dating from the same year. The residence is established in Geneva and it now has two work offices in Brussels and Strasbourg. Its members are 126 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old-Catholic Churches as well as 43 associated organizations from all European countries. The Roman-Catholic Church is not a member of this forum but there is a good cooperation between the two due to the Council of the European Catholic Bishopric Conferences. In the last years one speaks more and more often of the Christian reunion under the ecumenism. This is to be accomplished only by respecting the Christian values common for all cults, but also by keeping the identity of each church. The term of “ecumenism” cannot be extended over the sphere of Christianity.
Key words: ecumenism, church, Christians, Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Pope, faith.
Cuvinte-cheie: ecumenism, biserică, creştini, biserica ortodoxă, biserica catolică, papa, credinţă.