是到了莫斯科回应教宗方济各促进基督信仰合一开放态度的时候了
莫斯科（亚洲新闻）-十二月四日，俄罗斯东正教会宗主教公署网站上发表了常年在宗主教公署对外关系事务部工作的资深人士长篇文章，指出"不能再等了"。文中引述了教宗方济各在日前访问君士坦丁堡宗主教公署期间发表的讲话重点、指出了东正教会摆脱"僵局"的紧迫性，开启大公运动对话。文中强调了天主教会领导人不断向莫斯科发出信号，呼吁克服将两个团体分裂开的障碍。特别是在双方争议最大的东方礼但追随教宗的乌克兰希腊-天主教徒问题上，"罗马教宗第一次表达了与东正教立场相吻合的意见"。文章呼吁俄罗斯教会积极回应教宗方济各的邀请。"不能再等了：合一是一条道路、一条应该走的道路、应该共同走的道路"。
本社在此发表这篇文章的英文版概括。
In his address at the end of the liturgy in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St George in the Phanar, the See of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the pope . . . in a very simple and clear manner, linked the theological dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, which appears to have stalled lately, to the charismatic, personal and spiritual component of seeking unity between the Christian traditions of the East and West.
"I want to assure each one of you here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any conditions," said the pope with conviction. It is worth noting here that Pope Francis, from the beginning of his pontificate . . . has presented himself "to the city and to the world," not as pontiff or pope, but as the "bishop of the Church of Rome, which he presides in charity".
For this writer, the first, improvised greeting of the new pontiff to the Romans from St Peter's loggia, not only clearly showed his human and spiritual gifts, but also embodied his ecclesiology . . . . The words of the first speech from the Loggia of the Blessings in the Vatican basilica represent something more than just an expression of Jorge Mario Bergoglio's Christian humility. They reflect his understanding of the primacy as a service in charity. In the history of the recent centuries of the Catholic Church rarely can one find other examples of Roman pontiffs who in so explicit a manner have exclusively called themselves "bishop of Rome".
During the return flight to Rome, when asked by a Russian journalist about the prospects of dialogue with the Moscow Patriarchate, Pope Francis said, with his usual, surprising simplicity, "First I'll say something about Orthodoxy in general, and then I'll 'come to' Moscow. I believe we are moving forward . . . . What are we waiting for? For theologians to reach an agreement?"
During the in-flight news conference, the pope said, " I'll say something that a few, perhaps, are not able to understand: the Eastern Catholic Churches have a right to exist, but Uniatism is a dated word. We cannot speak in these terms today. We need to find another way."
Thus, talking to reporters, the pope, in a single sentence, removed one might say the stumbling block between Orthodox and Catholics that has existed for many centuries (the first Union, that of Lyon, dates back to 1274), which had lately become the major obstacle to dialogue. For the first time, a Roman Pontiff expressed a view about this controversy that coincides with the Orthodox position.
In the recent past, the Russian Orthodox Church has increasingly insisted that in the future the question of primacy, in the framework of the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue, will have to be addressed in parallel with the evaluation of the phenomenon of Uniatism.
We can say that on 30 November 2014, the Catholic Church not only accepted the conditions laid down by the Russian Church, but with his unexpected statement, its supreme head expressed disapproval of the phenomenon of Uniatism.
After such an unprecedented statement, Pope Francis continued the conversation with reporters. Speaking candidly about a meeting with Patriarch Kirill, he said, "there is the problem of war in these times. The poor man has so many issues there that the meeting with the pope has been put on the back burner. Both of us want to meet and move forward."
Aware of internal opposition in both Churches from ultraconservatives, the pope said it was important for Orthodox and Catholics to agree on the Easter calendar and rejoice together. In each Church, according to Pope Francis, internal conflicts arise from a certain spiritual "introversion", from the fact that the Church is self-referential, turned in upon itself and its problems.
Therefore, "We cannot wait: Unity is a journey, a journey that must be done, that we must do together," said Francis, the Bishop of Rome. Will the Russian Orthodox Church respond to these words? Or will the sound of internal problems resonate far stronger than the Saviour's prayer for the unity of his disciples and followers in the centuries to come?
