随着性虐待案件的增加 澳大利亚天主教徒离开教会

Australian Catholics Leave the Church As Sexual Abuse Cases Increase

Australian Cardinal¹ George Pell was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison.

Pell is a former treasurer² at the Vatican. He was found guilty of molesting⁴ two boys who belonged to a cathedral choir⁵ in the 1990s.

The judge said the crime showed “staggering arrogance” – in other words, a strong sense of power and a shocking lack of feeling for others.

Pell and his lawyers say he is innocent and are asking for another trial. ?

Australian Catholics lose their faith

But some Roman Catholics in Australia are not waiting until another ruling to form an opinion. The sentencing of Pell marks the end of their religious faith.

Jonathan Barrett, a reporter for the Reuters news agency, visited an historically Catholic area in the Australian state of Victoria.

The city of Ballarat is home to about 100,000 people. Many settlers from Ireland went to Australia in the 1800s to search for gold. They brought their Catholic faith with them.

For generations, children there were baptized as members of the Catholic Church, attended Catholic schools, and raised their own families to be Catholic.

But Census⁶ records from 2016 showed the number of people in Ballarat who say they do not belong to any religion rose sharply. Today, fewer than one in four people who live there say they are Catholic.

And even some who said they are Catholic rarely attend church services, Reuters learned. But they still thought of themselves as Catholic – until last month, when Australia’s top Catholic official was publicly identified as a sex offender⁷.

“That’ll do me – I’m out,” said one man while he passed the local church. He did not give his name.

Another Ballarat resident, Allen Stephens, spoke⁸ more about the issue. He said Pell’s case showed the Catholic Church is broken.

Stephens, who is 76 years old, was baptized Catholic but is no longer an active member. He says the abuse has been part of what has made him and others lose interest in being Catholic.

Catholics across Australia are losing their faith

Loss of faith in the Catholic Church is not limited to Ballarat. Catholics across Australia are losing their faith.

Census records show that, in the early 1990s, more than 27 percent of the Australian population said they were Catholic. Now, about 22 percent say they are Catholic.

A Catholic group called the Pastoral Research Office adds that, over the years, fewer people have been going to church services. Young people especially have stopped going.

However, the U.S.-based Pew Research Center notes that Christianity is increasing in strength in some areas, including parts of Africa and South America.

A Catholic clergyman in Ballarat suggests that Catholicism is changing. Father Justin Driscoll is an office administrator¹⁰ with Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. He said strong, centralized religion used to be very powerful in Western countries. Now, he says, church-goers have more of a voice.

Driscoll says he is trying to follow Pope Francis in this way. The pope has said that high-ranking religious officials should offer generous and humble¹¹ service – and not act as elites¹² who exercise power.

Words in This Story

molest³ – v. to harm (someone) through sexual contact?

choir – n. a group of singers especially in a church?

faith - n. strong religious feelings or beliefs?

baptize - v. to officially make someone a member of a specified¹³ Christian⁹ church through the ceremony of baptism?

resident – n. someone who lives in a particular place

generous - adj. freely giving or sharing money and other valuable things?

humble - adj. not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other people

1 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

2 treasurer   

n.司库，财务主管

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith was succeeded by Mrs.Jones as treasurer.琼斯夫人继史密斯先生任会计。
• The treasurer was arrested for trying to manipulate the company's financial records.财务主管由于试图窜改公司财政帐目而被拘留。

3 molest   

vt.骚扰，干扰，调戏

参考例句：

• If the man continues to molest her,I promise to keep no measures with the delinquent.如果那人继续对她进行骚扰，我将对他这个违法者毫不宽容。
• If I were gone,all these would molest you.如果没有我，这一切都会来骚扰你。

4 molesting   

v.骚扰( molest的现在分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵

参考例句：

• He was accused of sexually molesting a female colleague. 他被指控对一位女同事进行性骚扰。 来自辞典例句
• He was charged with molesting a woman. 他被指控调戏妇女。 来自辞典例句

5 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

6 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

7 offender   

n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者

参考例句：

• They all sued out a pardon for an offender.他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
• The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released.当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。

8 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。

9 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。

10 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

11 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

12 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。

13 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。