VOA标准英语2013--教皇弗朗西斯会见红衣主教,讨论改革

 

Pope Francis to Meet With Cardinals¹, Discuss Reform 教皇弗朗西斯会见红衣主教,讨论改革

WASHINGTON — Since becoming the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis has made it clear that his papacy will be different from the previous ones.  From touching² the faithful while riding in an open vehicle, to emphasizing humility³ and service rather than dogma, the new pope has signaled that significant changes lie ahead for the Church. On Tuesday, the pontiff begins three days of consultations⁵ with eight cardinals he has appointed to advise him on what many consider to be desperately⁶ needed reforms for the Vatican. 

The pope's first meeting with the newly appointed council of eight cardinals will take place behind closed doors. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi on Monday mentioned improving the governance of the Church through reform of the Curia as one of the main purposes of the summit, but that other issues will be discussed as well.

"There are two principle aims; to help the government of the Universal Church and to examine a project of revision on the Apostolic Constitution 'Pastor⁷ Bonus' of the Roman Curia.  So, the reform of the Curia is one part of the summit but it is not all.  There are also the problems of the government of the Universal Church that are also subject to consultation⁴ at the meeting, and for the pope these issues are also very important, some of them perhaps even more important,” said Lombardi.

The 1988 apostolic constitution was used by Pope John Paul II to institute the last major changes in the Vatican, but since then the Church has been undermined by revelations of a history of sexual abuse, allegations of corruption⁸ in the management of the Vatican state and reports of internal conflict within the Vatican bureaucracy.  In addition, many Catholics have protested the Church's unbending opposition⁹ to abortion¹⁰, gay relationships and women serving in clerical roles.  As a result, calls for reform have become increasingly vocal¹¹ in recent years.

Pope Francis has acknowledged that the Church is in crisis, and has signaled that a major overhaul¹² is on the way. 

Iacopo Scaramuzzi, a Vatican correspondent for Italian news agency TimNews, noted¹³ that the pope was elected with a mandate¹⁴ to reform the Vatican curia.

"The pope has a strong mandate, the majority of the cardinals who elected him in the Conclave¹⁵ did want to choose a strong pope, a pope who would change many things, reform the Vatican curia, and that would relaunch the Catholic Church. He is very willing to do so, the Catholic people love him very much. That said, inside the Vatican and outside the Vatican there are those who resist this reform.  As in every institution, there are those who prefer to keep things the way they are," said Scaramuzzi.

Change can be especially slowly in a 2,000-year-old institution.  Lombardi warned that the three-day summit will not result in a comprehensive reform plan.

"It's going to be a long-term job, let's not think that the reform of the curia and of the government of the universal church is something that can be dealt with in terms of specific operational conclusions in three days," cautioned Lombardi.

The eight-member council meeting with the pope is a diverse group of cardinals from the Americas, Africa, Australia and Europe.  They will discuss suggestions for reform based on the polls from Catholics around the world. 

1 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。

2 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

3 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

4 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

5 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

7 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

11 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

12 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

15 conclave   

n.秘密会议，红衣主教团

参考例句：

• Signore,I ask and I prey,that you break this conclave.各位阁下，我请求，并祈祷，你们能停止这次秘密会议。
• I met my partner at that conclave and my life moved into a huge shift.我就是在那次大会上遇到了我的伴侣的，而我的生活就转向了一个巨大的改变。