VOA慢速英语--在对伊拉克的历史性访问中 教皇敦促尊重伊拉克的基督教徒

Pope Francis has urged Iraqis to respect the nation's Christians² and reject longstanding religious conflicts and violence.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church arrived Friday in Baghdad on a historic trip. He is the first pope to ever visit Iraq.

During his weekend visit, the pope's main aim is expected to be to urge the nation's decreasing Christian¹ population to stay in Iraq to help rebuild the war-torn country.

Pope Francis told reporters aboard his plane he was happy to be traveling again after a yearlong break because of the coronavirus crisis. He said the trip to Iraq was an important one and represented "a duty to a land tormented⁴ by many years."

Pope Francis was met at the airport by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Hundreds of people gathered in small groups to see him being driven into Baghdad. He rode in what Iraqi security officials said was an armored black BMWi750, surrounded by numerous police vehicles.

It was believed to be the first time a bullet-proof car was used to transport Pope Francis, who often travels in an open-sided "popemobile" and is known for meeting crowds.

In a speech upon arrival, Pope Francis urged Iraqis to look beyond their differences and see each other "as members of the same human family." Only then will it be possible "to begin an effective process of rebuilding and leave future generations a better, more just and more humane⁵ world," he said.

The 84-year-old pope wore a face mask during the flight from Rome and throughout his official visits, as did the people he met. But the masks came off when the leaders sat down to talk.

The pope's first main event was a ceremony held at the presidential palace inside Baghdad's heavily armed Green Zone. He told President Barham Salih and other officials that Christians and other minorities should not be considered second-class citizens in Iraq. They should be given the same rights and protections as the country's Shiite Muslim majority.

"Iraq today is called to show everyone, especially in the Middle East, that diversity, instead of giving rise to conflict, should lead to harmonious⁶ cooperation in the life of society," the pope said.

Salih praised Francis for coming to visit even as the pandemic continues and with security concerns. "The East cannot be imagined without Christians," Salih said.

Christians once made up a sizeable minority in Iraq, with an estimated 1.4 million. But the numbers began to fall after the 2003 United States-led invasion that removed Saddam Hussein from power. The conflict opened a wave of unrest during which Islamic militants⁷ repeatedly targeted Christians.

The Christian population was reduced further in 2014, when Islamic State militants spread across northern Iraq, including traditionally Christian towns. Less than 300,000 Christians are believed to remain in the country.

Later Friday, Pope Francis prayed at the Baghdad church that was the site of one of the worst massacres⁹ of Christians, an attack in 2010 by Islamic militants that left 58 people dead.

On Sunday, he will honor the dead in a Mosul square surrounded by destroyed churches. He will also meet with the small Christian community that returned to Qaraqosh, home to a church that was used as a shooting range by the Islamic State.

The pope is also set to visit the city Ur, birthplace of the prophet Abraham, who is honored by Christians, Muslims and Jews. He will also meet with Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric, 90-year-old Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Words in This Story

torment³ – v. to make someone suffer or worry a lot

mask – n. a covering used to hide or disguise your face

second-class – adj. less important than other people

diversity – n. a situation in which many different kinds of things or people are included in something

harmonious – adj. friendly and peaceful

massacre⁸ – n. an act of killing¹⁰ a lot of people

church – n. a building where Christians to to worship God

cleric – n. a member of the clergy: a group of people authorized to perform duties in a Christian church

1 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。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 torment   

n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠

参考例句：

• He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
• Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。

4 tormented   

饱受折磨的

参考例句：

• The knowledge of his guilt tormented him. 知道了自己的罪责使他非常痛苦。
• He had lain awake all night, tormented by jealousy. 他彻夜未眠，深受嫉妒的折磨。

5 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

6 harmonious   

adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的

参考例句：

• Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals.他们关系融洽的部分原因是他们有着相似的目标。
• The room was painted in harmonious colors.房间油漆得色彩调和。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

9 massacres   

大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败

参考例句：

• The time is past for guns and killings and massacres. 动不动就用枪、动不动就杀、大规模屠杀的时代已经过去了。 来自教父部分
• Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollection. 近来那些不可胜数的屠杀，在他们的头脑中记忆犹新。

10 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。