An ecumenical council is a conference of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice in which those entitled to vote are convoked from the whole world and which secures the approbation of the whole Church. In the history of Christianity, the first seven ecumenical councils, from the First Council of Nicaea (325) to the Second Council of Nicaea (787), represent an attempt to reach an orthodox consensus and to unify Christendom. 14 further councils - from the Fourth Council of Constantinople (869–870) to the Second Council of the Vatican - are generally recognized as ecumenical by Roman Catholic theologians[1].
The three most-recent councils were:
- Council of Trent (1545–1563, with interruptions)
- First Council of the Vatican (1869–1870)
- Second Council of the Vatican (1962–1965)
References[]
- ↑ Wikipedia: Ecumenical council