🌼 What is the Ecumenical Movement?  What is its purpose?

“I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message. I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one:  I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me. " John 17: 20-23

Ecumenism calls on ALL people of Christian faith to participate in the Ecumenical mission of the church and promote:

🤓  Complete ACTIVITY 1  - Ecumenism

'Nostra Aetate ' - Vatican II’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions.

Interfaith relations and the Catholic Church

2025 marked the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate  (“in our time”), Vatican II’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions. This document transformed the Church’s attitude towards believers from other religions.  For the first time in history, the Church spoke positively about other religions.  The Declaration is widely considered a “watershed” in the relations between Catholics and believers from other religions.  It continues to inspire and to guide Catholics in forging relationships of mutual respect and collaboration. 

The 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate provided Catholics with the opportunity to consider the multi-religious reality of Australia and the world “in our time”, and assess what members of the Catholic Church are doing to build relations with believers from other religions. 

Each Catholic will build relations with believers from other religions  in his or her own way.  

The Catholic Church provides the following suggestions: 

• Meet and greet your neighbours and work colleagues from other religions; offer congratulations for a wedding or a birth, offer condolences on a death; a smile can make a world of difference. 

• Learn about the faiths of others from a reliable source; the best way to break down stereotypes is to meet with one of the faithful, so that their religion is not just an idea, but has a face and a name. 

• Be curious; ask questions; do not be invasive, but a sincere, respectful enquiry will almost always allay fears, elicit a genuine response and lead to better mutual understanding. 

• Visit the place of worship of another religion to experience their sacred space; some mosques and temples have guides who explain the beliefs and practices of the religion. 

• Invite a representative from another religion to address your class, school, congregation, church or social group.

• Hospitality is a biblical and cultural virtue; extend an invitation for a cup of tea or a meal, showing sensitivity by observing appropriate dietary restrictions; be open to receive hospitality; sharing an iftar meal to break the fast at the end of the day during Ramadan is a great way to build relations with Muslims.

• Work together on matters of common social concern, justice and peace issues, education, child-care, social services, aid to those in need and care for the environment.

• Offer greetings on major feast days, such as Deepavali (Hindu), Eid al-Fitr (Muslim), Pesach (Jewish) and Vesach (Buddhist).

• Attend celebrations of major feast days as a gesture of solidarity and interest.

• Learn about and practice The Golden Rule, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you” (Mt: 7:12)

• Pray for believers from other religions; on special occasions such as feast days, include them in the prayers of the faithful.

• Take part in multi-religious events for various occasions, celebrating national days, praying for peace, showing shared religious solidarity in the face of natural and other disasters.