The Catholic principles which should direct our spiritual sharing and our ecumenical encounter and exchange are explored in The Search For Christian Unity 1V.

When the Catholic Church uses the term ecumenism (or ecumenical), it refers to those who have been baptised into Christ’s body the Church. This understanding aids Church leaders to maintain their focus on ecumenism as serving the unity of Christ’s Church. Although Christian Unity and the search for it are, necessarily, realisations of the unity of all creation and all humanity in Christ, the task of the ecumenical ministry of the Church is our reconciliation with other Christians. Ecumenism, therefore, does not primarily address the relationship between the Catholic Church and the great religions of the world.

The journey towards visible unity among Christians is not only concerned with joint activities, important as these are. It must first and last be founded on prayer. At the heart of the ecumenical quest, there is a vital need for all Christians to share spiritual gifts in building a communion in faith, hope and love. Our ecumenical learning and exchange among the different Christian traditions will need to be characterised by the spirit of listening, of humility, of learning, of penitence concerning the wrongs our own community has inflicted in the past, and of forgiveness concerning the wrongs we have endured.

Various important Catholic figures brought vigorous growth to the Catholic Church’s sense of its own identity in relation to the world and to others who believe in Christ, as well as all who have faith in God. Above all this can be seen in the recognition of “spiritual ecumenism” in the Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio 8), as the heartfelt prayerfulness of the Catholic Church in response to the call of Christ, and that insistent call from the world for the service of those who claim to follow him.  Thus the wholehearted participation of the Catholic Church in the ecumenical movement is generally recognised as a fruit of the Second Vatican Council.

A list of useful ecumenical resources - teaching documents, Vatican resources, books, Liturgical and devotional resources.

Cardinal Avery Dulles Ten Principles of Ecumenism 1973