英文自修83：21世纪的宗教力量

本系列内容英文原文取自BBC Thought for the Day节目网站，朋友们也可以下载节目录音收听。

译者：王宥轩

审读：武太白

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Thought for the Day 20140522 - Chief Rabbi Mirvis

In two days’ time, the Pope will visit Israel, the fourth visit of a Holy Father to the Holy Land.

两天后，教皇将访问以色列，这是教皇第四次前往圣地。

Pope Francis 教宗方济各 has visited Jerusalem previously, in October 1973. As soon as he arrived, the Yom Kippur War broke out and he spent a week confined to his hotel, before managing to leave the war-stricken region.

先前在1973年10月，教宗方济各（天主教第266任教宗）已拜访过耶路撒冷。他刚到那里，赎罪日战争（也叫斋月战争，指1973年10月6日埃及，叙利亚和巴勒斯坦游击队反击以色列的第四次中东战争）就爆发了，他在宾馆里躲了一周，才成功离开那个饱受战争摧残的地方。

教宗方济各（1936.12.17— ）

His forthcoming visit will be very different. For me, the most significant feature of the whirlwind trip will be the composition of his entourage. Accompanying the Pontiff on his Pilgrimage of Prayer will be two of his friends from his days in Buenos Aires 布宜诺斯艾利斯, a Rabbi 拉比, Abraham Skorka and an Imam, Omar Abboud.

而此次拜访则非常不同。我觉得这一旋风式的拜访，最大的特点就是他的勇气。陪同主教朝圣祷告的是他在老家布宜诺斯艾利斯(阿根廷首都)的两位朋友，一位是拉比（犹太人的学者），叫亚伯拉罕，另一位是伊玛目(伊斯兰宗教领袖，尤指率领伊斯兰教徒做礼拜的人)，叫奥马尔•阿布德。

By having a Rabbi and an Imam with him on a quintessentially Christian pilgrimage, His Holiness is sending out a powerful message: One can be totally committed to one’s own beliefs and traditions and, at the same time, live peacefully and constructively with members of other faiths.

在这两位的陪同下，通过此次标准的基督教朝圣旅途，教皇陛下传递出一个非常有力的信息：一个人可以完全投入自己的信仰与传统，同时，也能和平地、建设性地与其他宗教信仰者共处。

Christian-Jewish relationships have undergone a transformation of seismic proportions. In the Middle Ages, popes were sources of hostility. For example, Pope Innocent III’s Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 enacted a law whereby Jews living in Christian lands were compelled to wear a badge. The badge was intended to identify Jews as a different and inferior race. This move inspired long-term, horrific Jewish suffering.

基督教与犹太教之间的关系经历了地震般的转变。在中世纪，教皇都是敌意的来源。比如，教宗诺森三世在1215年召开了第四次拉特兰会议，并颁布法律，规定犹太人在基督教的领域内必须带上徽章。而这种徽章就是为了标出犹太人是异族、低等民族。此事造成了犹太人长久而可怕的苦难。

Recognising the common roots and a shared spiritual bond that Jews and Christians enjoy, Pope Francis has inherited a refreshingly welcome outlook towards Jews and Judaism from Pope John XXIII, whose Second Vatican Council in 1965 produced the landmark “Nostra Aetate”, which paved the way for a new era in Christian-Jewish relations. Pope John Paul II called Jews "our elder brothers and sisters in faith” and Pope Benedict XVI was similarly well disposed to the Jewish people.

教宗方济各认识到犹太教与基督教有着共同的起源与精神纽带，他发自内心地对犹太人和犹太教有着全新的包容态度。这一点继承了教皇约翰二十三世，他在1965年第二次梵蒂冈会议中颁布了具有里程碑意义的《教会对非基督宗教态度宣言》，从而为基督教和犹太教的关系进入新纪元铺平了道路。教皇约翰•保罗二世称犹太人是“与我们有同样信仰的哥哥和姐姐”，而教皇本笃十六世也同样友好对待犹太人民。

In the UK, Faith Leaders are prioritising 区分优先次序 interfaith dialogue and activity at a time when tensions between faiths can threaten the stability of societies and peace worldwide. We recognise that genuine friendships are the cornerstone of productive interactions through which we can navigate a path to harmonious coexistence, even when confronted by challenging issues. We are heartened that Pope Francis shares our philosophy and champions this outlook.

在英国，宗教领袖们都重视宗教对话与活动，因为如今宗教间的纷争会威胁到社会稳定和世界和平。我们认识到真正的友谊是有效互动的基石，这样我们才能找到通往和谐共存的道路，即便遇到挑战也是这样。教宗方济各的宗旨与我们一致，拥护这一宗教观，这令我们感到鼓舞。

Through Millennia religion has often been at the heart of war and bloodshed. The strength of religion in the 21st century must lie in a moral voice that will not coerce through dogma, but rather appeal to and embrace all people through humility and the genuine recognition that everyone is created in the image of the Divine.

几千年来，宗教曾是战争与流血的源头。在21世纪，宗教必须是一股道德力量，它必将呼吁并拥抱人们，它展示的是谦虚，并真正认可每个人都是上帝的创造，而不是用教条压制人们。