ecumenical council

English

Alternative forms

• oecumenical council, (archaic) œcumenical council

Etymology

Calque of Ecclesiastical Latin oecūmenicum concilium.

Noun

ecumenical council (plural ecumenical councils)

1. (Christianity) A church council to which bishops from the entire world are invited, held by Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians to be infallible in its decisions on faith and morals when certain conditions are met.
   • 2016, David S. Sorenson, An Introduction to the Modern Middle East: History, Religion, Political Economy, Politics, 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 80:

     […] in 1215, the Maronite patriarch visited Rome and participated in an ecumenical council.

Translations

universal church council

• French: concile œcuménique m
• German: ökumenisches Konzil n
• Hungarian: egyetemes zsinat
• Latin: concilium oecūmenicum n
• Romanian: conciliu ecumenic n