2007年VOA标准英语-Kenya's Anglican Church Ordains American Bishop

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
30 August 2007

The Anglican Church of Kenya Thursday ordained¹ two American bishops³ who are to be sent back to the United States to minister to congregations that have broken relations with the Episcopal Church. As Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi, the growing split in the worldwide Anglican Church is primarily over the issue of gay ordination⁴.

Rev5. William Leo Murdoch, second left, and Rev. Canon Dr. Will Gillespie Atwood III, right, pray with Kenyan Bishops, Nairobi, Kenya, 30 Aug 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070901/1504030.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Rev. William Leo Murdoch, second left, and Rev. Canon Dr. Will Gillespie Atwood III, right, pray with Kenyan bishops in Nairobi, 30 Aug 2007

Representatives from Anglican churches in Africa, Asia, Australia, the United States and other areas were on hand to witness the consecration⁶ of Will Atwood and William Murdoch at Nairobi's All Saints Cathedral.

They two men left the U.S. branch of the Anglican Church, the Episcopal Church, after it consecrated⁷ an openly gay bishop².

The newly-consecrated bishops are to minister to 32 American congregations under the authority of the Anglican Church of Kenya, which opposes the ordination of gays into the church.

Archbishop Greg Venables, representing the Southern Cone⁸ of America, told journalists that Anglicans in many American churches think that the ordination of homosexual clergy⁹ is wrong and feel increasingly distant and isolated¹⁰ from their local church leadership.

He says the Anglican Church of Kenya is offering those people alternative leadership and ministry¹¹ until the issue of gay ordination is ironed out worldwide.

"And therefore the consecrations today in a sense, in part, meet that pastoral need, to actually be there to oversee¹² those people while the situation is being worked out," he said.

The Anglican Church worldwide has been grappling with the issue of whether or not homosexuals should be ordained to the clergy following the 2004 ordination of Gene¹³ Robinson, an openly gay clergyman in the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church in the United States.

The Anglican Church in Africa, under Nigeria's leadership, vigorously opposes gay ordination.

Kenyan Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi says the position of his church is that homosexual activity contravenes¹⁴ the Bible and tradition.

"The unchanging word of God has been our standard and a light to us," he said.  "Our Anglican heritage has been a source of great joy to all of us. But now, the fabric¹⁵ of the Anglican communion has been torn by the actions of the Episcopal Church."

Last year, two U.S. churches opposing gay ordination decided¹⁶ to put themselves under the authority of the Anglican Archbishop of Nigeria.

Earlier this year, at an international meeting of Anglican bishops, the Episcopal Church was given a September deadline to stop the appointment of homosexual clergy and the blessing¹⁷ of same-sex unions.

1 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 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。

4 ordination   

n.授任圣职

参考例句：

• His ordination gives him the right to conduct a marriage or a funeral.他的晋升圣职使他有权主持婚礼或葬礼。
• The vatican said the ordination places the city's catholics in a "very delicate and difficult decision."教廷说，这个任命使得这个城市的天主教徒不得不做出“非常棘手和困难的决定”。

5 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

6 consecration   

n.供献，奉献，献祭仪式

参考例句：

• "What we did had a consecration of its own. “我们的所作所为其本身是一种神圣的贡献。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
• If you do add Consecration or healing, your mana drop down lower. 如果你用了奉献或者治疗，你的蓝将会慢慢下降。 来自互联网

7 consecrated   

adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献

参考例句：

• The church was consecrated in 1853. 这座教堂于1853年祝圣。
• They consecrated a temple to their god. 他们把庙奉献给神。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

9 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。

10 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

11 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

12 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

13 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

14 contravenes   

v.取消，违反( contravene的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This fence contravenes our common right to pasturage. 这道栅栏侵害了我们牧场的共有权。 来自辞典例句
• This evidence contravenes our theory. 这个证据跟我们的理论不相符。 来自辞典例句

15 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

16 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

17 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。