The Folly of Lifestyle Ecumenism

"Lifestyle Ecumenism” is the view that Catholics should practice today a kind of “ecumenism” towards persons in living arrangements other than marriage, such as cohabitation, common law marriage, and same-sex relationships. In dealing with other forms of Christianity we accept that we should look for what is good, and find common ground—confident that all truth leads to the Catholic faith—and we delicately avoid condemnation, favoring patient dialogue instead, so, in dealing with persons in relationships other than sacramental marriage, we should adopt a similar bridge-building approach. Lifestyle Ecumenism, it is claimed, if widely adopted by the Church, would appropriately present to the world the merciful face of Christ—who came to save, not to judge—and ultimately would enable Catholics to be more effective apostolically. Lifestyle Ecumenism was an important concept at the last Synod of the Family and is expected to be influential in the upcoming Synod this October.