美国国家公共电台 NPR Catholic Church Singled Out In Australian Sex Abuse Report

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

A commission on child sex abuse in Australia has completed a landmark¹, five-year investigation² of the problem there. As NPR's Scott Neuman reports, the panel's final report offers sweeping³ recommendations for the country's Catholic clergy⁴.

SCOTT NEUMAN, BYLINE⁵: The Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse interviewed thousands of victims over the years and produced a 17-volume report that included hundreds of recommendations. In this audio from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull praised the commission for what he called its often harrowing work.

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PRIME MINISTER MALCOLM TURNBULL: What that commission has done has been - exposed a national tragedy. It's an outstanding exercise in love. And I thank the commissioners⁶ and those who had the courage to tell their stories.

NEUMAN: The commission looked at abuse in schools and sports clubs, as well as churches, but it found the biggest problem in Catholic institutions. And it had some far-reaching recommendations - calling on the Australian Catholic Church to ask the Vatican to lift the celibacy⁷ requirement for priests, saying there was evidence of increased risk of abuse when celibate⁸ male clergy had privileged access to children. It also recommended requiring that any evidence of abuse revealed in the sanctity of the confessional be reported to outside authorities. President of the Australian Catholic Bishops⁹ Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, says he'll pass on the recommendations to the Vatican, but he also pushed back on the issue of violating confidentiality¹⁰.

DENIS HART: The seal of the confessional or the relationship with God that's carried through the priest and with the person is inviolable. It can't be broken.

NEUMAN: He goes further to say that there is value in celibacy.

HART: It's a difficult thing. It's some that - a point - I think it's the commission made - that not everyone can live up to.

NEUMAN: And when asked if he thought the report was damaging to the church, he said no.

HART: If you were to ask me - what is the position of the church now? - I would say that we are diminished because our people are sad at what has happened. Many are angry at the betrayal of the trust that should've been able to be given to leaders and to priests and so on.

NEUMAN: Among the commission's other recommendations is the establishment of a National Office of Child Safety and making it a crime for anyone failing to protect a child from abuse within an institution. Scott Neuman, NPR News.

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1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

4 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。

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 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

7 celibacy   

n.独身(主义)

参考例句：

• People in some religious orders take a vow of celibacy. 有些宗教修会的人发誓不结婚。
• The concept of celibacy carries connotations of asceticism and religious fervor. 修道者的独身观念含有禁欲与宗教热情之意。

8 celibate   

adj.独身的，独身主义的；n.独身者

参考例句：

• He had defended the institution of a celibate priesthood.他捍卫了独身牧师制度。
• The instinct of the celibate warned him to hold back.单身汉的本能告诫他回头是岸。

9 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。

10 confidentiality   

n.秘而不宣，保密

参考例句：

• They signed a confidentiality agreement. 他们签署了一份保守机密的协议。
• Cryptography is the foundation of supporting authentication, integrality and confidentiality. 而密码学是支持认证、完整性和机密性机制的基础。