VOA标准英语2012--Egypt's Copts Mourn Pope Shenouda, Wary of Future

Egypt's Copts Mourn Pope Shenouda, Wary¹ of Future

 Pope Shenouda

Coptic mourners lined for hours outside Cairo's main cathedral to pay their last respects to the only patriarch most had ever known. Pope Shenouda's 40-year tenure² as patriarch of the Coptic Church reinforced for many not only their place in the religious sphere, but also the political landscape of an increasingly Islamist Egypt.

Cairo resident Nashaat Nagy stood with his patient young daughter in the crowds that filled the main streets and alleyways around Abassaya cathedral.

“We come to see our beloved Pope Shenouda for the last time," he said. "We knew him for 40 years. He's the only one we trusted in Egypt.”

Rise of Islamists

Shenouda's death Saturday comes at a crossroads for the country's estimated 10 million Coptic Christians⁴, as some, like mourner Wadie Agaiby, worry about the rise of political Islam after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.

“It's a very difficult time for us, this time, because it's a different time, a difficult time," said Agaiby. "We don't know what we are going to do.”

Shenouda, the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa, led his church with what many in the crowd said was a kind but strong hand. He was able to navigate⁵ the often treacherous⁶ religious politics of his era. He was banished⁷ by President Anwar Sadat in the early 1980's to a desert monastery⁸, where he will be buried Tuesday, but returned to forge a careful path with President Mubarak. He balanced support for the government with a conservative, some say insular⁹ approach, that bound his faithful but avoided most conflict with the nation's majority Muslims.

But conflict came, with attacks on Christians over the years becoming stronger again since the uprising. The violence came both from extremists and the government itself. At least 26 people died in October during a police crackdown on a Coptic protest in Cairo.

Outside the cathedral Sunday, Coptic priest Bemen Shakr spoke¹⁰ of Shenouda's optimism and faith even during the most difficult times.

Shakr said that Shenouda relied on three phrases when facing such problems: “they will be eventually solved, everything heads towards the good, and the Lord is there.”

The priest added the presence of a new pope will be especially important in the coming months, as Egypt drafts a new constitution and elects a new president. The naming of the next patriarch is expected after a 40 day period of mourning.

Fear

With the Muslim Brotherhood¹¹ and the fundamentalist Salafis dominating parliament, questions about their intentions mixed with expressions of grief among the Coptic mourners. Will a stricter form of Sharia, or Islamic law, become the basis of post-revolution Egypt? Will the Arab world's largest Christian³ community see a flight to the West like other Middle Eastern Christians in recent decades?

Ezzat Sobhy, a banker who came out to Abassaya to pay his last respects to Shenouda, said “I will not lie to you. There is fear.”

1 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

2 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

3 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。

4 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。

5 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

6 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

7 banished   

v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was banished to Australia, where he died five years later. 他被流放到澳大利亚，五年后在那里去世。
• He was banished to an uninhabited island for a year. 他被放逐到一个无人居住的荒岛一年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 insular   

adj.岛屿的，心胸狭窄的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• Having lived in one place all his life,his views are insular.他一辈子住在一个地方，所以思想狭隘。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。