VOA慢速英语2018 教宗方济各承认处理智利性虐丑闻时犯了“严重错误”

Pope Francis Admits ‘Grave Mistake’ Over Chile’s Sex Abuse Problems

Pope Francis has admitted he made “grave mistakes” in dealing¹ with reports of sexual abuse by clergy² members in Chile.

天主教教宗方济各承认，他在处理智利教职人员性虐待的问题上犯了“严重错误”。 

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church discussed his concerns in a public letter.

罗马天主教堂领袖在一封公开信中表达了自己的关切。 

He said he felt, in his words, “pain and shame” in an unusual letter released on Wednesday.

这封非同寻常的信在周三公开，用他的话来说，他感到“痛苦和羞耻”。 

In the letter, he called Chile’s church leaders to Vatican City for an emergency meeting to discuss the issue.

在信中他召集智利所有的主教到梵蒂冈参加一次紧急会议，商议性虐待丑闻。 

Francis also invited abuse victims he had once doubted to come to Rome to seek their forgiveness personally.

罗马天主教宗方济各还邀请他先前曾质疑的受害者前来罗马，他将亲自请求他们的宽恕。 

He said a lack of “truthful and balanced information” was the reason that he strongly defended Bishop³ Juan Barros.

教宗方济各说，由于缺少“真实和全面的信息”，他大力维护智利主教巴罗斯。 

Barros has been linked to a priest accused of abuse, Reverend Fernando Karadima.

巴罗斯曾与受性虐指控的神父卡拉蒂马有联系。 

During his visit to Chile in January, Francis voiced support for Barros. Victims had accused Barros of witnessing and ignoring their sexual abuse.

教宗方济各今年1月访问智利期间为巴罗斯主教大力辩护。性虐受害者指称，巴罗斯对他们遭受的性虐行为熟视无睹。

In Chile and on his return trip to Rome, Francis accused the victims of “calumny" , or making false statements in order to hurt someone’s image. He also said they should present “proof” of their claims. He said he had twice rejected Barros’s resignation.

教宗方济各在智利访问期间以及在返回梵蒂冈的途中，指称受害者是在“诽谤”，或是为了诋毁某人形象而作假的陈述。他要求他们就所说的提供“证据”，并表示曾两次拒绝了巴罗斯的辞职。

“I am convinced he is innocent,” Francis said at the time.

他说：“我深信他是清白的。” 

One of the Vatican’s most experienced sexual abuse investigators⁴ went to Chile to find out more.Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta later presented Francis with a 2,300-page report on the issue.

梵蒂冈调查性虐最有经验的人之一查尔斯·希克鲁纳红衣主教赴智利深入调查之后，向方济各提交了长达2300页有关此事件的报告。

Francis wrote his letter after receiving the report. The letter does not discuss the future of Barros.

教宗方济各在收到报告后写了公开信，在公开信中没有提及巴罗斯的未来。 

In a statement, three victims said they appreciated Francis’s request for forgiveness. They said they were considering his invitation. They also said they would continue fighting for payment and forgiveness “until zero tolerance⁵ about abuse and cover-up in the church becomes a reality.”

在一份声明中，三名受害者称感激方济各请求他们的宽恕，并称他们正在考虑方济各的邀请。他们还说将继续为赔偿和宽恕继续奋斗，“直到对性虐和教会掩盖性虐事件零容忍成为现实”。

Words in This Story

grave –adj. very serious

convinced –adj. to be completely certain of something

appreciate –v. to be grateful for something

tolerance –n. willing to accept something

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

3 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

4 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》

5 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。