美国国家公共电台 NPR Bernard Law, Former Archbishop Of Boston, Dies In Rome At 86

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Cardinal¹ Bernard Law, the former archbishop of Boston, has died at the age of 86. Law resigned amid the clergy² sexual abuse crisis in 2002. He was blamed for covering up for priests who were sexually abusing children. And NPR's Tovia Smith reports that those decisions will end up as a central part of Law's legacy³.

TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE⁴: When the stories of clergy sexual abuse exploded in 2002 from a trickle⁵ in Boston to the tsunami⁶ that would eventually rock the Catholic Church around the globe, Cardinal Law was at ground zero.

(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: Tonight's top headline, of course, Cardinal Bernard Law. Now, he's...

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: Protected the priest accused of molesting⁷ more than 130 children.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #3: Dealing⁸ now with an ugly secret that's been hidden for far too long.

SMITH: For months, Law seemed to show more sympathy for himself than the victims.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BERNARD LAW: These are not easy days to serve in the pastoral role that is mine.

SMITH: And he showed little compunction, offering only a carefully worded, almost Nixonian concession⁹.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LAW: Judgments¹¹ were made, which in retrospect¹², were tragically¹³ incorrect.

SMITH: It left many even more enraged¹⁴ that the cardinal still didn't get it. Only after almost a year, when even his own priests were publicly calling on him to quit, did he finally resign.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LAW: I ask forgiveness of those who had been abused and of their parents.

ERIC MACLEISH: This was a man who came to Boston with great promise and hope and, you know, people talking about him being the first American pope, and he ended up in disgrace.

SMITH: Attorney Eric MacLeish, who represented hundreds of victims, was one of several lawyers who made the once-venerated Cardinal squirm through days of depositions¹⁵.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MACLEISH: You promoted an admitted child molester¹⁶. Is that not accurate?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Objection.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: You can answer.

LAW: I appointed Father Graham after...

SMITH: It would come out only later that countless¹⁷ others in the church transgressed¹⁸ as much or more than Cardinal Law. But Catholic lay activist¹⁹ Jim Post says Law will be remembered for the sins of them all.

JAMES POST: He was the poster child for a church that was in denial and a hierarchy²⁰ that refused to acknowledge the facts of this terrible abuse.

SMITH: The scandal eclipses Law's long career as minister and self-described meddler²¹ in politics. He was as well-connected in Washington, D.C., as he was in Rome. Outspoken²² on everything from abortion²³ and affordable²⁴ housing to foreign policy - he was a staunch advocate for immigrants and the poor and, having started his career in Mississippi in the '60s, a champion for better race relations. But survivor²⁵ advocate David Clossey says Law's legacy will forever be stained by his failure to protect his flock.

DAVID CLOSSEY: Bishop's No. 1 goal is to follow the example of Jesus Christ, safeguarding the most vulnerable. Going out into the cold and the dark and the rain, right? I get choked up about this because imagine how all this would be different had Cardinal Law said you've got to report anything you know or suspect.

SMITH: Born in Mexico to an Air Force pilot and a mom who converted to Catholicism, Law was known as a stalwart of Catholic orthodoxy. And while he struck many as autocratic and arrogant²⁶, Boston College professor James Bretzke says Law saw himself as a loyal soldier dutifully defending against any damage to the Roman Catholic Church.

JAMES BRETZKE: He considered himself to be a prince of the church and responsible for upholding the dignity of the church and protecting it as an institution.

SMITH: With time, says Father Joseph Hennessey, who's known Law since the early '80s, people may come to see the cardinal in a more sympathetic light as a product of a different era.

JOSEPH HENNESSEY: I personally don't believe that he could possibly have been indifferent to the children. I think it was not so much of a conspiracy²⁷ as something that was done in other walks of life, you know, where policemen and teachers also would be, you know, kind of slapped on the wrist, so to speak, for these kind of crimes.

SMITH: Law has barely been seen or heard from since he left Boston for the Vatican, where he served as archpriest of a basilica until 2011. His last years were likely filled with both pain and penance²⁸. As Boston businessman, philanthropist and former Law confidant Jack²⁹ Connors notes, Catholicism teaches all sins can be forgiven.

JACK CONNORS: I think a lot of us have crossed the bridge here and forgiven Cardinal Law's decisions that put children in harm's way. But I don't think many of us are going to forget it.

SMITH: The ultimate judgment¹⁰, he says, will come from a higher authority. Tovia Smith, NPR News, Boston.

(SOUNDBITE OF JON HOPKINS' "SMALL MEMORY")

1 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

2 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。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 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。

5 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

6 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

7 molesting   

v.骚扰( molest的现在分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵

参考例句：

• He was accused of sexually molesting a female colleague. 他被指控对一位女同事进行性骚扰。 来自辞典例句
• He was charged with molesting a woman. 他被指控调戏妇女。 来自辞典例句

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

10 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

11 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

12 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

13 tragically   

adv. 悲剧地，悲惨地

参考例句：

• Their daughter was tragically killed in a road accident. 他们的女儿不幸死于车祸。
• Her father died tragically in a car crash. 她父亲在一场车祸中惨死。

14 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

15 depositions   

沉积（物）( deposition的名词复数 )； （在法庭上的）宣誓作证； 处置； 罢免

参考例句：

• The safety problems are more severe for low-pressure depositions because the processes often use concentrated gases. 对于低压淀积来说安全性问题更为突出，因为这种工艺通常使用高浓度的气体。
• The chief method is to take depositions of parties and witnesses. 主要的方法是录取当事人和证人的宣誓证言。 来自口语例句

16 molester   

参考例句：

• A nationwide manhunt for an alleged child molester is over. 一个全国搜捕骚扰儿童的行动告一段落。 来自互联网
• Did the molester penetrate the child? 这名性骚扰者插进小孩的身体了吗？ 来自互联网

17 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

18 transgressed   

v.超越( transgress的过去式和过去分词 )；越过；违反；违背

参考例句：

• You transgressed against the law. 你犯法了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• His behavior transgressed the unwritten rules of social conduct. 他的行为违反了不成文的社交规范。 来自辞典例句

19 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

20 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

21 meddler   

n.爱管闲事的人，干涉者

参考例句：

• "I know you, you scoundrel! I have heard of you before. You are Holmes, the meddler." “我知道你，这个恶棍。我以前听过你。你是福尔摩斯，爱管闲事的人。” 来自互联网

22 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

23 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

24 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

25 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

26 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

27 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

28 penance   

n.（赎罪的）惩罪

参考例句：

• They had confessed their sins and done their penance.他们已经告罪并做了补赎。
• She knelt at her mother's feet in penance.她忏悔地跪在母亲脚下。

29 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。