美国国家公共电台 NPR--Thousands of mourners pack St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope Benedict

Thousands of mourners pack St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope Benedict

Transcript¹

For the first time, one pope is presiding over the funeral of his predecessor². Pope Francis will preside over the funeral mass for Pope Benedict, who died on New Year's Eve at the age of 95.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Today at the Vatican, a living pope, Pope Francis, presided at a requiem³ mass for his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday at the age of 95. Tens of thousands of people attended this outdoor mass. At the end of the ceremony, the late former pope was buried in a private service at the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica alongside his predecessors⁴. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli is on the line from Rome. And, Sylvia, what was it like to be there?

SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE⁵: Well, you know, at the start, it was a very somber⁶ mood, primarily because of damp weather and a thick fog that then lifted and the sun came out. Some mourners had arrived at the Vatican during the night, five hours before the funeral was to start. The security was very tight. More than a thousand security personnel were called in for the event, and a no-fly zone was in effect over most of the city.

INSKEEP: Once people got in, what was it like?

POGGIOLI: Well, actually, the ritual resembled funerals of reigning⁷ popes. Only a few specific prayers and readings had been eliminated. Pope Francis was wearing crimson⁸ vestments that are associated with papal funerals. He arrived in a wheelchair and sat for most of the time because of his knee ailment⁹. And then he concelebrated mass with 125 cardinals¹⁰, hundreds of bishops¹¹, thousands of priests. The ritual was really hardly low-key. Only because the funeral was of a former pope, the Vatican invited only two official delegations¹², Italy and Germany.

INSKEEP: What did Francis say?

POGGIOLI: Well, he recited Benedict's name several times in Latin in the prayers. In his homily, he didn't say very much about his predecessor. He spoke¹³ of the, quote, "wisdom, tenderness and devotion that he bestowed¹⁴ upon us over the years." He uttered Benedict's name only once in the homily, commending his spirit into God's hands.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

POPE FRANCIS: (Non-English language spoken).

POGGIOLI: "Benedict, may your joy be complete as you hear his voice now and forever."

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC, APPLAUSE)

POGGIOLI: And then at the end of the mass, before the coffin¹⁵ was carried back into the basilica, there was applause from the crowd. Francis stood up, blessed the coffin and placed his hands on it.

INSKEEP: Sylvia, amid the ritual, there's some political substance here as well, as well as religious substance, because Benedict was seen as a standard-bearer for conservative Catholics. Francis was seen as more liberal on many issues and is met with a lot of conservative resistance. And his predecessor was still around as he was trying to change the direction of the church on certain issues. Will he have more freedom now?

POGGIOLI: It's hard to say right away. Throughout his almost 10 years in retirement¹⁶, Benedict himself never criticized Francis, and it's said that he resisted efforts by conservatives to challenge his successor. But now, even before Benedict was buried, his longtime secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, in an interview with the German Catholic weekly Tagespost, did not mince¹⁷ words. He said that Francis' decision to sharply curtail¹⁸ use of the old Latin mass, which is very dear to Catholic traditionalists, quote, "broke Benedict's heart." Ganswein said the old mass was a source of spiritual life and nourishment¹⁹ for many saints. It's really unusual to hear such outright²⁰ criticism so soon.

INSKEEP: So Benedict, of course, made it possible for Francis to be pope by retiring, which other popes in the past had not done. Is this now a precedent²¹? Is this likely to be the normal course?

POGGIOLI: It could be. It could be. There's been a lot of speculation²² that the Vatican is drawing up specific guidelines on papal retirement. Francis himself has not ruled out the possibility of resigning if he feels he can no longer run the Catholic Church.

INSKEEP: NPR's Sylvia Poggioli in Rome. Sylvia, thanks.

POGGIOLI: Thank you, Steve.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

3 requiem   

n.安魂曲，安灵曲

参考例句：

• I will sing a requiem for the land walkers.我会给陆地上走的人唱首安魂曲。
• The Requiem is on the list for today's concert.《安魂曲》是这次音乐会的演出曲目之一。

4 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

7 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

8 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

9 ailment   

n.疾病，小病

参考例句：

• I don't have even the slightest ailment.我什么毛病也没有。
• He got timely treatment for his ailment.他的病得到了及时治疗。

10 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。

11 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

12 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

15 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

16 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

17 mince   

n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说

参考例句：

• Would you like me to mince the meat for you?你要我替你把肉切碎吗？
• Don't mince matters,but speak plainly.不要含糊其词，有话就直说吧。

18 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

19 nourishment   

n.食物，营养品；营养情况

参考例句：

• Lack of proper nourishment reduces their power to resist disease.营养不良降低了他们抵抗疾病的能力。
• He ventured that plants draw part of their nourishment from the air.他大胆提出植物从空气中吸收部分养分的观点。

20 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

21 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

22 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。