About us

The Ecumenical Institute was founded in 1946 by Edmund Schlink with the aim of connecting academic theology with the emerging ecumenical movement. Schlink sought to make the ecumenical movement visible in theological discourse. In 1957, a residence hall was built onto the Ecumenical Institute that was modeled after English Colleges to promote the vital connection between ecumenical research and student life.

Since the Institute’s founding, there has been a connection between the ecumenical movement and the various institutions that have emerged from the work, such as seen in the World Council of Churches (WCC). The directors of the Institute as well as some of the research leaders of the residence hall take part in central bilateral and multilateral ecumenical dialogues, such as the Joint Working Group between the Roman Catholic Church and the WCC or the Ecumenical Working Group of Protestant and Catholic Theologians (ÖAK). Such ecumenical work characterizes the profile of the Ecumenical Institute in teaching and research.