美国国家公共电台 NPR Resurgence Of Cleric Scandal Invigorates Conservative U.S. Critics Of Pope Francis

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The man who won the election for pope a few years ago faces some resistance. Conservative American Catholics do not agree with Pope Francis' remarks on migrants or refugees or capitalism¹. Clerical sex abuse scandals have emboldened² the pope's critics. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE³: Every Sunday at noon, Pope Francis addresses the crowd in St. Peter's Square.

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POPE FRANCIS: (Speaking Italian).

POGGIOLI: And he always wishes them a good Sunday meal.

(CHEERING)

POGGIOLI: But these warm cheers contrast with strident criticism heard outside Vatican walls.

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MICHAEL VORIS: Hello, everyone. And welcome to "The Vortex," where lies and falsehoods are trapped and exposed.

POGGIOLI: The American conservative website Church Militant⁴ shot this clip behind St. Peter's Square during the recent synod of bishops⁵ meeting focused on youth.

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VORIS: The cloud of homosexual immorality⁶ is hanging thick and low around Vatican City these days as various churchmen with deep ties to and support of the gay agenda are running the show.

POGGIOLI: Many of the pope's most vocal⁷ opponents are in the U.S., attacking him in tweets, blogs and conservative media. At the National Review, critics accused Francis of having plunged⁸ the church into acrimony and confusion and of acting⁹ more like a potentate¹⁰ than a guardian¹¹ of Christ's teaching. Sex abuse revelations have further emboldened traditionalist Catholic media - like First Things and LifeSite - with articles blaming sex abuse on gay priests and accusing Francis of encouraging homosexuality. And yet researchers in the field say they've found no evidence linking clerical pedophilia to sexual orientation¹².

DAVID GIBSON: That's kind of a perfect storm that has really tossed the pope's pontificate around.

POGGIOLI: David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, was in Rome for the synod.

GIBSON: This conservative opposition¹³, which is very much based in the United States, has been able to use the anger, the widespread anger, over the sex abuse crisis to create even more difficulties and opposition to Pope Francis.

POGGIOLI: Blame escalated¹⁴ this summer after a disgruntled former Vatican diplomat¹⁵, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, accused Francis of covering up abuse and called for his resignation.

MASSIMO FAGGIOLI: Now, there is no shame in launching attacks that were unthinkable under John Paul II or Pope Benedict.

POGGIOLI: Massimo Faggioli is professor of theology at Villanova University. Speaking by Skype, he says only a handful of American bishops defended Pope Francis against Vigano's vitriolic¹⁶ attack.

FAGGIOLI: There is, I mean, some kind of undeclared schism¹⁷. As a church historian, I don't remember anything like that happening in these last six centuries.

POGGIOLI: Many moderate Catholics acknowledge Francis' record on abuse is mixed. While he's done much more than his predecessors¹⁸, concrete steps for transparency and accountability of bishops are lagging. Gibson of Fordham University says Francis is in a bind¹⁹.

GIBSON: So much of this scandal was seeded and sown in the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. And there's a reluctance²⁰ among many to go unearth²¹ all of that because obviously the pope has been canonized, and he's Saint John Paul II.

POGGIOLI: He agrees with Francis the only way to eliminate sex abuse is to wipe out the sense of entitlement and unaccountability enshrined in that culture so dear to conservatives - clericalism.

GIBSON: He needs to change this culture of the old boys' network of secrecy²² and of self-protection. That's really the ultimate answer here.

POGGIOLI: But Gibson adds, that's going to be a long time coming. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

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1 capitalism   

n.资本主义

参考例句：

• The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
• Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。

2 emboldened   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine, he went over to introduce himself to her. 他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

5 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。

6 immorality   

n. 不道德, 无道义

参考例句：

• All the churchmen have preached against immorality. 所有牧师都讲道反对不道德的行为。
• Where the European sees immorality and lawlessness, strict law rules in reality. 在欧洲人视为不道德和无规则的地方，事实上都盛行着一种严格的规则。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

7 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

8 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 potentate   

n.统治者；君主

参考例句：

• People rose up against the despotic rule of their potentate.人们起来反抗君主的专制统治。
• I shall recline here like an oriental potentate.我要像个东方君主一样躺在这.

11 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

12 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

15 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

16 vitriolic   

adj.硫酸的，尖刻的

参考例句：

• The newspaper launched a vitriolic attack on the president.这家报纸对总统发起了一场恶意的攻击。
• Vitriolic impurity is contained normally in the sewage that vitriolic factory discharges.硫酸厂排放的污水中通常含有硫酸杂质。

17 schism   

n.分派，派系，分裂

参考例句：

• The church seems to be on the brink of schism.教会似乎处于分裂的边缘。
• While some predict schism,others predict a good old fashioned compromise.在有些人预测分裂的同时，另一些人预测了有益的老式妥协。

18 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》

19 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

20 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

21 unearth   

v.发掘，掘出，从洞中赶出

参考例句：

• Most of the unearth relics remain intact.大多数出土文物仍保持完整无损。
• More human remains have been unearthed in the north.北部又挖掘出了更多的人体遗骸。

22 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。