美国国家公共电台 NPR Vatican's Meeting Of Bishops Is Overshadowed By Abuse Allegations

 

NOEL KING, HOST:

As scandals around clerical sex abuse hit the Catholic Church, a three-week-long assembly of bishops¹ is underway in Rome. They're focused on how to make the church relevant to young people. But as NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports, the assembly, which is known as a synod, will likely be dominated by what many analysts² call Catholicism's worst crisis since the Reformation.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing in foreign language).

SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE³: In the synod's opening mass, Pope Francis urged the more than 250 participating priests, bishops and cardinals⁴ to dare to dream and to hope.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

POPE FRANCIS: (Speaking Italian).

POGGIOLI: And he prayed for God's help to ensure the church does not let itself be extinguished or crushed by the prophets of doom⁵ and misfortune by our own shortcomings, mistakes and sins. Spiraling sex abuse scandals have hurt the pope. A new Pew Research Center poll found Francis' favorability rating in the United States is 51 percent, 19 points down since January 2017. And as the synod opened one block from St. Peter's Square, some 20 abuse survivors⁶ voiced their anger at the church.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Italian).

POGGIOLI: "We victims must unite," a man shouted. "That's the only way we can bring this evil to an end." Arturo Borelli says he was abused by a priest who fled both civil and church justice. Nearby, some 20 people - Italians and other Europeans - held placards demanding no more cover-ups and make zero-tolerance real.

CHRISTIAN⁷ WEISNER: I think we are in the deepest crisis in the Roman Catholic Church.

POGGIOLI: Christian Weisner is one of the German founders⁹ of the progressive Catholic movement We Are Church. He believes Francis is doing the best he can handling the crisis but needs much more support from bishops.

WEISNER: Especially now at the youth synod, the bishops - they have to face this problem. They have to give answers. They have to take responsibility.

POGGIOLI: It's not the only issue haunting the church. On the eve of the synod, a group of Catholic women activists¹⁰ met in Rome to demand decision-making positions in the church for women. But Chantal Gotz, founder⁸ of the movement Voices of Faith, acknowledged nothing will change as long as clericalism prevails, that culture of clergy¹¹ entitlement and unaccountability.

CHANTAL GOTZ: The whole governance structure is crippled and paralyzed by clericalism. It cannot just be repaired somehow but must die and be resurrected in a totally new form.

POGGIOLI: Celia Wexler, author of a book on women's struggles in the church, said that it's hard for Catholic women to speak out because they have always been taught to obey.

CELIA WEXLER: No. I think we have to come to the point where we don't ask permission. We speak out and speak up and talk to one another.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Pope Francis, let women vote. Knock, knock. Who's there? More than half the church.

POGGIOLI: Making their voices heard as bishops and cardinals were entering the assembly hall, these women came to protest gender¹² discrimination. At the synod, laymen¹³ participants can vote, but the few laywomen cannot. The peaceful protest ended when police officers in plainclothes and others with bulletproof vests intervened, manhandling several of the women. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

(SOUNDBITE OF ERNEST GONZALES SONG, "UP AND AWAY (WHILE ON SATURN'S RINGS STONERMIX)")

1 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。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 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。

4 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。

5 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

6 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

9 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

10 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

13 laymen   

门外汉，外行人( layman的名词复数 )； 普通教徒（有别于神职人员）

参考例句：

• a book written for professionals and laymen alike 一本内行外行都可以读的书
• Avoid computer jargon when you write for laymen. 写东西给一般人看时，应避免使用电脑术语。