VOA标准英语2014--Ukraine, Russia, United in Faith, Divided in Politics 信仰使乌克兰与俄罗斯联合起来,政治使两者决裂

 

Ukraine, Russia, United in Faith, Divided in Politics 信仰使乌克兰与俄罗斯联合起来,政治使两者决裂

MOSCOW — There is a strong historical religious connection between Russia and Ukraine.  As Easter approaches, the role of religion in the current conflict has resurfaced.

From the outset, clergy¹ played a part in the demonstrations² in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine,  as professor Andrei Zubov, an expert on the history of religions, points out.

“Priests of different confessions³, different Orthodox groups, Unitarian, Greek-Catholics  - everyone was together,” he said.

While church leaders of all faiths in Ukraine appear to support the new political leadership in Kyiv, the Russian clergy are keeping silent about recent events.  

“We have yet to hear the Russian Orthodox Church take a stance on the situation in Ukraine. They have not even called for a truce⁴ during Easter,” said Alexander Soldatov, a Russian journalist who covers religion.

The current conflict in Ukraine may be causing a schism⁵ between the Russian Orthodox Church and its Ukranian affiliate⁶. The Russian Orthodox Church, which has close ties to the Russian government, would not comment for this report.   Professor Zubov had this to say.

“If they come out in support of President Putin, their Ukrainian chapter could break off.  If they support Ukraine, it would cause big problems with the Russian presidential administration," said Zubov.

About 40 percent of Orthodox believers in Ukraine are Russian.  Zubov and Soldatov say Russian Patriarch Kirill is at odds⁷ with President Putin over the conflict.  As evidence, they cite Kirill's absence from Putin's March 18 Crimea address in the Kremlin.

But Ukranian Orthodox priest Yakov Krotov dismisses that idea.

"Officially, the church is completely behind Putin.  The rumors⁸ about Patriarch Kirill and Putin are just rumors," he said.

Krotov thinks Patriarch Kirill is hedging his bets politically and called his silence "meaningless."

Soldatov says, whereas the clergy was active in the Kyiv demonstrations, it is nowhere to be seen in the pro-Russian protests in eastern Ukraine.

“While there were numerous priests of all confessions at the Maidan square [in Kyiv], none are standing⁹ on the barricades¹⁰ surrounding the administrative¹¹ buildings in Luhansk and Donetsk,” he said.

 

For both Russian and Ukranian Orthodox believers, Easter is the most significant  religious holiday.  And this year it coincides with Easter in the West.  Many faithful are no doubt praying that Ukranians and Russians can avoid an escalation¹² of the current conflict.

1 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 confessions   

n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔

参考例句：

• It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

5 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。

6 affiliate   

vt.使隶(附)属于；n.附属机构，分公司

参考例句：

• Our New York company has an affiliate in Los Angeles.我们的纽约公司在洛杉矶有一个下属企业。
• What is the difference between affiliate and regular membership?固定会员和附属会员之间的区别是什么？

7 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

8 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

11 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

12 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句