Solollo: переводы

→На иконостасе, на митрах и крестах, на сияющих ризах иерархах церкви сверкали бриллианты, изумруды и рубины. Священники с окладистыми бородами проходили среди рядов прихожан, размахивая кадилами, в которых курился ладан. Богослужение представляло собой не продолжительное песнопение, а чередование гимнов, которые выводили своими могучими басами дьяконы.

→Москва была 'третьим Римом', центром православия. Миллионы русских шли в православные храмы с горем и радостью. В величественных соборах крестьянки в ситцевых платочках оказывались рядом с княгинями в дорогих шубах и драгоценных украшениях. Люди всех сословий, и стар и млад, часами стояли со свечами в руках, душой и разумом постигая величие происходящего. Освещенные тусклым светом лампад, с икон в золотых окладах на них смотрели лики святых.

→В Москве насчитывалось 'сорок сороков церквей'. Над зелеными крышами вздымались в небо их голубые с золотом маковки.

→For many years now we have been hearing this typical expression: "the Union of the Churches". In particular, however, in our country we have not testified to any progress. Many of us stand before the problem of the union of the Christians with pessimism and bitterness. Consequently, it is necessary that we have some enlightening ideas about this serious problem of ecumenism..

→Thus, if Christians were once alienated without them realising it, a day will surely come when they will look each other eye to eye and they will find themselves to be brothers and sisters again.

→Catholics and Orthodox we live together but we do not know each other. Often, our contacts are based on anachronisms, prejudice and ignorance. Laypeople and clergymen must be better and deeply acquainted with each other. We, Catholics must better understand our own faith so that we may be in position to explain with simplicity to our Orthodox brothers who we are and what we believe. We must also come to know the riches of the Orthodox Church in order to appreciate it more and love it. Our Orthodox brothers should do likewise also.

→If Christians live the Gospel with honesty and authenticity, we shall find ourselves united automatically. Intolerance and fanaticism are obvious indications that we are not authentic disciples of Christ, who preached brotherhood and love.

→What should be done?

→Events from the distant past, like the Crusades, along with the various movements of the Western World against the East, still have negative influence on the contempo¬rary attitudes of many people and "poison" the relations between Catholic and Orthodox in our country. Unfortunately, many in our country falsely identify the Catholic Church with the Vatican city – state and call the Catholics with the inacurate names of "Frangos" (French), or Italian, while the Catholic Church, was never limited to particular nations or to exclusive nationalities, precisely because it is catholic, that is, universal. The Greek Catholic remains both Greek and Catholic at the same time. This should be actively acknowledged by all our Orthodox brothers.

→Why we live in our own country like "strangers" among ourselves?

→The differences between Churches stem from historical, political/cultural, and geographical / regional reasons. An additional reason is that one Church developed unilaterally one truth, completely ignoring the other Church. Often, the different cultures of peoples led to different criteria for the interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures which led to different conclusions. Nevertheless, as far as the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches are concerned, there was not any premeditated action by which they decided to be divided. Rather they found themselves separated, alienated, little by little, almost without them realising it.

→What accounts for the differences?