VOA慢速英语--教皇访问斯洛伐克的罗姆人以显示其包容性

Pope¹ Visits Roma in Slovakia to Show Inclusion

Pope Francis traveled to the eastern part of Slovakia on Tuesday to meet with the country's Roma. The visit was a show of inclusion for the most socially excluded² minority group in Slovakia.

The Roma are a group whose families came to Europe between the eighth and 10th centuries from the Punjab area of Northern India. They have long suffered discrimination, powerlessness and poverty.

Francis' visit to the Lunik IX settlement in Kosice was a high point of his four-day visit to Hungary and Slovakia.

It was his first trip since his stay in the hospital in July. It also marked his first international trip after an almost two-year break because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lunik IX is the biggest of about 600 disorganized, separate settlements where the poorest of Slovakia's 400,000 Roma live. Most people living there lack basics such as running water, waste systems, gas and electricity.

Even before the pope arrived, locals there said some things had already changed.

"We have new roads, new stairs, they repaired everything," resident³ Alexander Horvath said. "It was all destroyed before."

Changes are in the air

Another resident, Mario Tomi, said the changes are not only physical. "People are different, you can feel in the air the Holy Spirit," Tomi said. "You can feel freedom in the air."

Pope Francis has long sought to meet with the world's most powerless groups during his foreign trips. He has made sure to always include visits to poor neighborhoods and prisons, where he shares words of support.

Francis started the day by celebrating a Byzantine rite⁴ Mass in Presov, near Kosice. That form, also known as the eastern Mass, is a religious service common among the country's Greek-Catholic⁵ believers.

Organizers said more than 30,000 people attended and received communion in the form of bread and wine on small spoons as is done in the eastern Mass.

Waving flags

Well before Francis' arrival, people filled the area in Lunik IX as a group sang religious songs. They cheered and wildly waved the yellow and white flags of the Holy See – the universal government of the Catholic Church. Francis made his way through the crowd in his special "popemobile" vehicle before the service.

"We came here at 3 a.m. to get the best spot," said Slavka Marcinakova, a local resident from Presov. "[The] pope coming to Slovakia — you have an opportunity like this only once in a lifetime, we are so happy for that."

Francis, 84, has appeared in good form during his trip. He appears to be enjoying traveling again after the coronavirus and his hospitalization in July made him stay in the Vatican.

Words in This Story

marginalize – v. to put or keep (someone) in a powerless or unimportant⁶ position within a society or group

stairs – n. (plural) a series of steps that go from one level or floor to another

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

resident – n. someone who lives in a particular place

1 pope   

n.（罗马天主教的）教皇

参考例句：

• The Pope is the spiritual leader of many Christians.教皇是众多基督徒的宗教领袖。
• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。

2 excluded   

v.排除，不包括在内( exclude的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cost of borrowing has been excluded from the inflation figures. 通胀数字未包括借贷成本。
• The court excluded the confession wrongly obtained by the police. 法院排除了警方通过不正当方法获得的供词作为证据。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 resident   

a.居住的，居留的；住校的，住院的

参考例句：

• I've been resident in this place for five years. 我已经在这个地方住了五年。
• They engaged a resident tutor. 他们聘用了一名住家的家庭教师。

4 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

5 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

6 unimportant   

adj.不重要的，无意义的

参考例句：

• Let's not quarrel about such unimportant matters.我们不要为这些小事争吵了。
• Money seems unimportant when sets beside the joys of family life.与天伦之乐相比，金钱显得微不足道。