VOA常速英语2008年-Pope Receives Warm Welcome in New York

By Margaret Besheer
United Nations
18 April 2008

Pope Benedict arrived in New York City Friday, on the final leg of his first U.S. visit. It was a full day for the 81-year old pontiff - he addressed the United Nations General Assembly, made an historic visit to a synagogue and held a prayer service with Christians¹ of many denominations² - all under tight security. From New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on the papal visit.

The pope began his day at the United Nations, where he addressed a packed General Assembly hall. Speaking about the importance of dialogue, diplomacy³ and human rights, Pope Benedict said every state has a duty to protect its people from grave and repeated human rights violations⁴ and from the consequences of humanitarian⁵ crises -- whether natural or man-made.

The pontiff gave his address in both French and English. Here he is heard through a translator. "If states are unable to guarantee such protection, it is then up to the international community to intervene with the legal means that are provided for under the Charter of the United Nations and other international instruments," he said.

The pope went on to note that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He said respect for human rights is the most effective way to eliminate inequalities among countries and social groups, and for increasing security. He said respect for human rights must also include the right to religious freedom.

"It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights," he said.

During his three-hour visit to U.N. headquarters, the pontiff also met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said this was a "great day." The pope also addressed about a thousand U.N. staffers, paying tribute to the work they do around the world.

In the late afternoon, Pope Benedict made an historic visit to a synagogue in the city. It was the first time a Catholic pope has visited a Jewish house of worship in the United States. It was also significant, as Pope Benedict is German and the synagogue's head rabbi, Arthur Schneier, is a Holocaust⁶ survivor⁷.

"Shalom! [Peace!] It is with joy that I come here just a few hours before the celebration of your Pesah [Passover], to express my respect and esteem⁸ for the Jewish community of New York City," he said.

Rabbi Schneier presented the pontiff with a silver Seder plate used at the Passover feast. The pope, in turn, presented the rabbi with a medieval Jewish manuscript from the Vatican library.

After his brief visit to the synagogue, the pope went to St. Joseph's Church in Manhattan, where he held a prayer service with Christians from all sects⁹. St. Joseph's was established in the 1800s by German immigrants.

Saturday, the pope is scheduled to say Mass at the city's famed St. Patrick's Cathedral. In the afternoon he will visit a seminary just outside the city. Before departing for Rome on Sunday, the pontiff will visit Ground Zero - the site of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and then say Mass at Yankee Stadium.

1 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。

2 denominations   

n.宗派( denomination的名词复数 )；教派；面额；名称

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。
• The service was attended by Christians of all denominations. 这次礼拜仪式各教派的基督徒都参加了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

4 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

7 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

8 esteem   

n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• The veteran worker ranks high in public love and esteem.那位老工人深受大伙的爱戴。

9 sects   

n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had subdued the religious sects, cleaned up Saigon. 他压服了宗教派别，刷新了西贡的面貌。 来自辞典例句