AS IT IS 2016-02-13 Body of Mystic Monk On Display for Holy Year

AS IT IS 2016-02-13 Body of Mystic Monk¹ On Display for Holy Year

The body of one of the most popular Roman Catholic saints, the mystic monk Padre Pio, will go on display at the Vatican in Rome.

His body was placed in a crystal coffin² and taken on a journey to Rome Wednesday from San Giovanni Rotondo. It is a small town in southeastern Italy where he spent most of his life. 

Padre Pio died in 1968. His body was dug up, or exhumed⁴, in 2008 in San Giovanni Rotondo. His body was partly altered with a life-like mask and preserved in a glass coffin for viewing.

He was declared a saint in 2002. He spent most of his life hearing confessions⁶. The Catholic Church said he had the “stigmata,” or the bleeding wounds of Jesus on his hands and feet.

Pope Francis wanted the body of the monk to be displayed in St. Peter’s Basilica during the Catholic Church’s current Holy Year on the theme of mercy. 

This small town’s economy revolves⁷ around pilgrims coming to view Padre Pio’s body. So not all the locals were happy that the saint was going on the road.

“Personally, for me, it is a sad day,” said Auro Mizza, one of the hundreds who turned out to see the coffin off. Many had tears in their eyes. “A saint doesn’t go on pilgrimage. It is the others who go on pilgrimage to the saint.”

The shrine⁸ draws almost 1 million people each year. Padre Pio’s body will be displayed in a Rome church along with the body of another, less famous saint. His body is being transported to Rome from northern Italy.

Both bodies will be moved in a walking parade to St. Peter’s on Friday. They will return to their regular locations later this month.

Many people said the brown-robed Padre Pio was able to predict events in their lives and knew what they were about to confess. There are thousands of “Padre Pio Prayer Groups” around the world.

Padre Pio was accused of being a fake during his life and even after his death. But church investigators⁹ cleared him each time.

Words in This Story

saint – n. a person who is officially recognized by the Christian¹⁰ church as being very holy because of the way he or she lived

mystic – adj. a person who tries to gain religious or spiritual knowledge through prayer and deep thought : someone who practices mysticism

monk – n. a member of a religious community of men who usually promise to remain poor, unmarried, and separated from the rest of society

crystal – adj.  a special type of glass that is very clear

coffin – n.  a box in which a dead person is buried

exhume³ – v. to remove (a body) from the place where it is buried

confession⁵ – n.  the act of telling your sins to God or to a priest

mercy – n.  kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly

pilgrim – n.  someone who travels to a holy place

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

fake – n.  not true or real

1 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

2 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

3 exhume   

v.掘出，挖掘

参考例句：

• His remains have been exhumed from a cemetery in Queens,New York City.他的遗体被从纽约市皇后区的墓地里挖了出来。
• When the police exhume the corpse,they discover trace of poison in it.警方掘出尸体，发现有中毒的痕迹。

4 exhumed   

v.挖出，发掘出( exhume的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Marie Curie's remains were exhumed and interred in the Pantheon. 玛丽·居里的遗体被移出葬在先贤祠中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His remains have been exhumed from a cemetery in Queens, New York City. 他的遗体被从纽约市皇后区的墓地里挖了出来。 来自辞典例句

5 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

6 confessions   

n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔

参考例句：

• It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 revolves   

v.（使）旋转( revolve的第三人称单数 )；细想

参考例句：

• The earth revolves both round the sun and on its own axis. 地球既公转又自转。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Thus a wheel revolves on its axle. 于是，轮子在轴上旋转。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

9 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。