The ecumenical movement aims to promoting worldwide Christian unity. This is fitting, since the term “ecumenism” is derived from the Greek word oikoumene, which appears in the New Testament to mean the Roman Empire (e.g., Luke 2:1) or, simply, the entire world (e.g., Matthew 24:14). Gradually, the term meant something close to the entire church, as opposed to what is divisive, or to the whole faith of the church, as opposed to what is partial. The ecumenical movement aims to do good deeds, to lend aid to victims of war, poverty, oppression, and natural disasters.