D. Irenicism, Ecumenism, and Modernism

At this point in the study of irenicism one naturally thinks of "ecumenism," the word so frequently used when speaking of dialogue.

Two forms of ecumenism should be pointed out. One type seeks ‑ in order to lead souls to the one flock of the one Shepherd ‑ to reduce as much as possible the number of arguments pure and simple and polemics in favor of argument-dialogue and other forms of interlocution.

This ecumenism is amply based on numerous pontifical documents, especially those of John XXIII and Paul VI. But another type of ecumenism goes further and seeks to extirpate any and all militant character from the relations of the Catholic Religion with others (cf. footnote 22).

This extreme ecumenism is evidently founded upon relativism or religious syncretism, whose condemnation is found in two documents of Saint Pius X, the encyclical Pascendi against Modernism, and the Apostolic Letter Notre Charge Apostolique against the "Sillon."