<P> An ecumenical council ( or oecumenical council ; also general council ) is a conference of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice in which those entitled to vote are convoked from the whole world ( oikoumene ) and which secures the approbation of the whole Church . </P>
what is the purpose of the ecumenical council
to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice