VOA慢速英语2014 教皇首次亚洲之旅——访问韩国

 

As It Is - Pope to Visit S. Korea on First Asian Trip 教皇首次亚洲之旅——访问韩国

The head of the Roman Catholic church will visit South Korea later this month. It will be the first visit of a pope to an Asian country in almost 20 years, and the first visit of a pope to South Korea in 25 years.

Pope Francis will be in South Korea from August 14thto August 18th. He will meet with South Korean president Park Geun-hye. He will also spend time with young people during Asian Youth Day events. The events are to be held about 100 kilometers south of the capital Seoul.

Pope Francis will celebrate a Catholic religious ceremony called a Mass, in Seoul. About one million people are expected to attend.

Kim Hyunjun is director of culture and sports at South Korea’s Office of Government Policy Coordination¹. He says the pope has often spoken of the need for better relations between North and South Korea.

Church officials in Seoul say a Catholic group from North Korea did not accept an invitation to attend the Mass. Media reports say the North Korean Catholic Association decided² not to go because of planned joint³ military operations between the United States and South Korea. They are set to begin at the end of the pope’s planned visit.

Pope Francis will meet with family members and victims of the Sewol ferry boat accident. The boat overturned in waters along the southwestern coast of South Korea in April. More than 300 people died. Most of them were high school students on a class trip. Their families want the government to pass a law that would require an independent investigation⁴ into the ferry incident.

Korea is believed to have one of the fastest-growing Catholic populations in Asia. Korean officials say there are more than five million Catholics in the country.

Foreign missionaries⁵ spread the Catholic faith in many countries. But that did not happen in South Korea. Members of Korea’s royal family founded the Catholic Church. They learned about the faith through Catholic writings that were translated into Chinese.

Luis Antonio Tagle is a Cardinal⁶ -- a high-ranking Catholic Church leader -- in the Philippines. He says the pope likes Asia. The Cardinal says Pope Francis told him he wanted to share in the suffering of those who are mistreated because of their beliefs.

“I remember the Holy Father saying how much he admired, admired those who suffer on account of their faith. He said, in fact, ‘If I meet any one of them I will kiss their hands or kiss their feet.’ And he was talking about Asia.”

Cardinal Tagle told VOA that Asia is very important for the Catholic Church. The World Christian⁷ Database estimated that 14 million Catholics lived in the Asia-Pacific area in 1910. Today, that number has grown to 121 million.

Pope Francis will continue visiting countries in the area. In January, 2015 he will travel to Bangladesh and the Philippines.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in the News

ceremony– n. an act or series of acts done in a special way established by tradition

joint– adj. shared by two or more

missionary⁸ - n. a person who is sent to a foreign country to do religious work (such as to convince people to join a religion or to help people who are sick, poor, etc.)

admire - v. to feel respect or approval for (someone or something)

independent- adj. not influenced by or controlled by another or others; free; separate

1 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 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。

5 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 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。

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 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。