VOA慢速英语2019 教皇拒绝信众亲吻戒指引尴尬（在线收听）

Kissing the Pope's Ring: An Issue of Debate

This week, Pope Francis visited a Catholic shrine in Loreto, Italy. He repeatedly withdrew his right hand as a long line of people lowered their heads and tried to kiss his ring. The tradition of kissing the pope’s ring is hundreds of years old and is meant to show respect and obedience, the Washington Post explains.

本周，教皇方济各访问了意大利洛雷托的天主教圣地。当一队信众低头试图亲吻他的戒指时，他频频抽回右手。《华盛顿邮报》对此解释称，亲吻教皇戒指的传统已延续数百年，此举是为了以示尊重和服从。

The images of Francis withdrawing his hand spread quickly on social media. The pope's refusal became an issue of debate among Catholics.

教皇抽手的照片迅速在社交媒体上走红。教皇的实力拒绝成为天主教徒争论的话题。

LifeSiteNews, a Catholic website that often criticizes the pope, called the event "disturbing" in the headline of an article. That article included a long history of the rings that popes wear and their importance in Catholic history.

经常批判教皇的天主教网站LifeSiteNews在文章的标题中称该事件“让人恼火”。文章内容包括教皇佩所戴戒指的悠久历史，以及戒指对天主教历史的重要性。

Austen Ivereigh has written a book about the current pope and is a supporter of Francis. He answered the social media storm in a Tweet. "He's [Pope Francis] making sure that they engage with him, not treat him like a sacred relic. He's the Vicar of Christ, not a Roman emperor," Ivereigh wrote. Vicar of Christ is a term that refers to the pope.

奥斯汀·艾佛雷（Austen Ivereigh）写了一本关于现任教皇的传记，他是方济各的支持者。他在推特上回应了这场社交媒体争议。他说：“教皇（方济各）这么做是确保信众与他接触，而不是把他当作圣物来朝拜。他是基督代表，而不是罗马皇帝。”此处的“基督代表”意指教皇（方济各）。

On Thursday, Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti addressed the criticisms aimed at Pope Francis. Gisotti stated the Francis pulled his hand away because he was concerned about hygiene. The pope did not want the long line of well-wishers to spread any sickness by kissing his ring, one after the next.

周四，梵蒂冈发言人亚历山德罗·吉索蒂（Alessandro Gisotti）就针对教皇方济各的批评发表了立场。吉索蒂称，教皇抽回手是担心卫生问题。教皇不想让这么多信众挨个通过亲吻手上的戒指传播细菌。

Words in This Story

shrine – n. a place connected with a holy person or event where people go to worship

disturb – v. to worry or upset (someone); disturbing – adj.

sacred – adj. worthy of religious worship

relic – n. an object that is conserved holy

vicar – n. a priest in a certain area

hygiene – n. the things that you do to keep yourself and your surroundings clean in order to maintain good health