VOA慢速英语2015 土耳其不满教皇称亚美尼亚人“种族灭绝”说法

AS IT IS 2015-04-14 Turkey Rejects Pope’s Comments on Armenian Genocide 土耳其不满教皇称亚美尼亚人“种族灭绝”说法

Turkish officials have strongly criticized Pope Francis for his use of the word “genocide” to describe the mass killing¹ of Armenians in 1915. Turkey’s government ordered its ambassador to the Vatican to return home to protest the comments of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed around the time of World War I. Most were living in the Ottoman Empire, which collapsed² after the war.

The Turkish government has repeatedly refused to use the word genocide to describe the killings³. But Pope Francis used it in comments he made Sunday at the Vatican. The pope spoke⁴ at a special service marking the 100th anniversary of the mass killing by the Ottoman rulers. Turkey was once part of the Ottoman Empire. Armenian religious leaders were among those attending the service.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu condemned⁵ Pope Francis for using the word genocide.

He said it is wrong for someone with the power of the pope to speak of these deaths in a one-sided way.

The Turkish government argues that the number of Armenians reported killed in 1915 is overstated. And it says those who were killed died during a civil war.

The Turkish prime minister accused the pope of prejudice -- making a judgment⁶ without knowing all the facts.

He said he expects religious leaders to call for peace. Opening up old issues for those who have an opinion that they will not change serves no purpose.

The Turkish leader warned that the pope’s comments could lead to greater hatred⁷ against Muslims living in Europe. He also said the comments were in conflict with the message Pope Francis gave during his visit to Turkey in November.

The Turkish government showed its displeasure by ordering the Vatican representative to come to Turkey’s foreign ministry⁸. It then ordered its ambassador to the Vatican to return home for discussions.

Observers say the prime minister’s comments may have been influenced by politics. Turkey is preparing for general elections, and nationalists are an important part of his party.

The Turkish government is in a diplomatic struggle with Armenia and the Armenian community overseas. Armenians are working to gain greater recognition of the genocide claims as part of the 100th anniversary of the killings. Turkey is seeking to block those efforts. Observers say the pope’s comments are likely to help the Armenians. More than 20 countries recognize the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 as genocide.

Words in This Story

genocide – n. a plan of action to kill or destroy a national, religious, racial or ethnic⁹ group

protest – v. to speak against; to object

service – n. a religious ceremony

prejudice – n. an unfair feeling of dislike for someone or something because of race, sex or religion; a feeling of like or dislike for someone or something, especially when it is not reasonable

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

6 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。

7 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。