2006年VOA标准英语-Pope, Orthodox Christian Patriarch Call for Uni

By Sabina Castelfranco
Istanbul
30 November 2006

Pope Benedict XVI and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians² held a solemn prayer service together Thursday in the Church of Saint George in Istanbul. During the joint³ ceremony they re-committed their churches to the quest for full unity⁴. For VOA, Sabina Castelfranco reports from Istanbul.

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On the day Christians mark the feast day of Saint Andrew the apostle, Pope Benedict and Patriarch Bartholomew I held a joint ceremony in the Church of Saint George in Istanbul. The Orthodox Liturgy⁵ was nearly three-hours long and full of symbolism.

Pope Benedict XVI, left, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, 30 Nov 2006

During the ceremony the leaders of the world's Catholics and Orthodox pledged to continue all efforts towards full Christian¹ unity between their churches. The Western and Eastern branches of Christianity split in the Great Schism⁶ of 1054 over differences on theology and papal authority.

 

"'The divisions which exist among Christians are a scandal to the world and an obstacle to the proclamation of the Gospel," said the pope.

Inside the church, the pope also urged "all world leaders to respect religious freedom as a fundamental human right."

The pope also took the opportunity to reiterate⁷ the importance of Europe's Christian roots.

"We are called together with all other Christian communities to renew Europe's awareness⁸ of its Christian roots, traditions and values, giving them new vitality," he said.

At the end of the liturgy, the pope and the patriarch joined hands and greeted a crowd from a balcony. In a joint statement, the pope and patriarch stressed the need to "preserve Christian roots" in European culture while remaining "open to other religions and their cultural contributions."

While the ceremony was under way, outside Istanbul University, some 100 nationalists protested against Pope Benedict's visit and called on him to stay away from Aya Sofya, which was once Christianity's largest church and is now a museum.

Amid heavy police presence supporters of the right-wing Grand Unity Party waved banners displaying "Pope get out of Turkey" and chanted "Aya Sofya is Turkish and will remain Turkish."

The pope was to visit the 1500-year-old Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque⁹ Thursday evening. His tour of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul will be only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 liturgy   

n.礼拜仪式

参考例句：

• A clergyman read the liturgy from the prayer-book.一名牧师照着祈祷书念祷文。
• The mass is the church a kind of liturgy.弥撒是教会的一种礼拜仪式。

6 schism   

n.分派，派系，分裂

参考例句：

• The church seems to be on the brink of schism.教会似乎处于分裂的边缘。
• While some predict schism,others predict a good old fashioned compromise.在有些人预测分裂的同时，另一些人预测了有益的老式妥协。

7 reiterate   

v.重申，反复地说

参考例句：

• Let me reiterate that we have absolutely no plans to increase taxation.让我再一次重申我们绝对没有增税的计划。
• I must reiterate that our position on this issue is very clear.我必须重申我们对这一项议题的立场很清楚。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

9 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。