2007年VOA标准英语-Pope Canonizes 18th-Century Brazilian Monk Said

By Brian Wagner
Sao Paulo
11 May 2007

Pope Benedict has canonized an 18th-century Brazilian monk¹ who is credited with helping² to cure thousands of people of physical ailments³. In Sao Paulo, VOA's Brian Wagner reports that about one million people gathered for the ceremony.

wafts4 incense5 around the altar during the canonization mass of Antonio Galvao, in Sao Paulo, 11 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070605/1024310.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Pope Benedict XVI wafts incense around altar during canonization mass  in Sao Paulo, 11 May 2007

Pope Benedict led the canonization ceremony for Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao who becomes the first Brazilian-born saint in the Roman Catholic church. Brazilian bishops⁶ recounted the history of the Franciscan monk, who died in 1822 at the age of 83 after founding several monasteries⁷ and convents in the country.

Galvao is best known for distributing prayers written on tiny strips of paper, which church members swallowed, hoping the so-called prayer pills would cure their illnesses. The prayer pills are still distributed at the Monastery⁸ of Light, where people place donations in a revolving⁹ window for the nuns¹⁰ who work inside.

Wesley Luis Carvalhaes traveled to Sao Paulo from central Brazil for the pope's visit and to collect prayer pills for himself, his mother and an aunt. He says he learned about Galvao from a colleague at the Catholic high school where he teaches.

He says Galvao's reputation began to spread after his prayer pills reportedly cured a woman who was experiencing problems in pregnancy¹¹.

Carvalhaes says Galvao has been credited with nearly 24,000 miracles. In making the case to the Vatican for sainthood, Galvao's supporters documented two specific cases of women who said they were cured of illnesses in the 1990s.

Still, many Catholic faithful in Brazil are unfamiliar¹² with the Franciscan monk. The attention raised by the canonization may change that, says Reverend Terence Hogan, rector of St. Mary's Cathedral in Miami.

"Even though this man lived, not this century, but some hundreds of years ago, he still was very important in the history of the country because people would know who he is, and he had a profound effect on the faith and the culture of the country," he said.

Reverend Hogan says in many cases, the rigorous process of certifying¹³ events and details in the life of a person being considered for sainthood helps to raise awareness¹⁴ about key figures in the Roman Catholic church.

At the Monastery of Light, demand for Galvao's paper pills jumped following his beatification in 1997, and again this year.

Cleide Souza Fidelli, who regularly comes to mass at the monastery's church, says she was surprised by the attention recently.

She says a long line of people were waiting to receive their prayer pills when she came to the church last month, which is something she had not seen in the past four years.

The canonization ceremony is a key part of Pope Benedict's five-day trip to Brazil, where he is trying to reconnect with the nation's Catholic majority. Church officials are struggling to slow the pace of Catholics converting to pentecostal churches and other Christian¹⁵ faiths.

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 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

4 wafts   

n.空中飘来的气味，一阵气味( waft的名词复数 )；摇转风扇v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A breeze wafts the sweet smell of roses. 微风吹来了玫瑰花的芬芳（香味）。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A breeze wafts the smell of roses. 微风吹送玫瑰花香气。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

6 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

7 monasteries   

修道院( monastery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In ancient China, there were lots of monasteries. 在古时候，中国有许多寺院。
• The Negev became a religious center with many monasteries and churches. 内格夫成为许多庙宇和教堂的宗教中心。

8 monastery   

n.修道院，僧院，寺院

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。

9 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

10 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

11 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

12 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

13 certifying   

（尤指书面）证明( certify的现在分词 )； 发证书给…； 证明（某人）患有精神病； 颁发（或授予）专业合格证书

参考例句：

• Signed Commercial in quintuplicate, certifying merchandise to be of Chinese origin. 签署商业发票一式五份，证明产品的原产地为中国。
• Other documents certifying the truthfulness of the contents of the advertisements. （三）确认广告内容真实性的其他证明文件。

14 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

15 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。