Ecumenical progress

WCC - Genève, Juin 2018

Ecumenism manifests itself at various levels and in different ways (meetings, agreements, joint actions) and involves partners of various Christian faiths, often on a bilateral basis.

The present notice recalls some important dates for ecumenism, and then gives three examples of progress between Christians since the early 20th century, namely the Dombes Group assembling Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant theologians, the community in Taizé – where ecumenical young people from all over the world meet-, the ecumenical translation of the Bible into French.

The Catholic Church is not a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) but takes part in some projects. The relationship has not always been simple, but significant progress has been made thanks to concerted actions between European Churches and to joint declarations between Lutherans and Catholics, including the one before the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.