VOA慢速英语2019 教皇拒绝信众亲吻戒指引尴尬

Kissing the Pope's Ring: An Issue of Debate

This week, Pope Francis visited a Catholic shrine¹ in Loreto, Italy. He repeatedly withdrew his right hand as a long line of people lowered their heads and tried to kiss his ring. The tradition of kissing the pope’s ring is hundreds of years old and is meant to show respect and obedience², the Washington Post explains.

本周，教皇方济各访问了意大利洛雷托的天主教圣地。当一队信众低头试图亲吻他的戒指时，他频频抽回右手。《华盛顿邮报》对此解释称，亲吻教皇戒指的传统已延续数百年，此举是为了以示尊重和服从。

The images of Francis withdrawing his hand spread quickly on social media. The pope's refusal became an issue of debate among Catholics.

教皇抽手的照片迅速在社交媒体上走红。教皇的实力拒绝成为天主教徒争论的话题。

LifeSiteNews, a Catholic website that often criticizes the pope, called the event "disturbing" in the headline of an article. That article included a long history of the rings that popes wear and their importance in Catholic history.

经常批判教皇的天主教网站LifeSiteNews在文章的标题中称该事件“让人恼火”。文章内容包括教皇佩所戴戒指的悠久历史，以及戒指对天主教历史的重要性。

Austen Ivereigh has written a book about the current pope and is a supporter of Francis. He answered the social media storm in a Tweet. "He's [Pope Francis] making sure that they engage with him, not treat him like a sacred relic³. He's the Vicar of Christ, not a Roman emperor," Ivereigh wrote. Vicar of Christ is a term that refers to the pope.

奥斯汀·艾佛雷（Austen Ivereigh）写了一本关于现任教皇的传记，他是方济各的支持者。他在推特上回应了这场社交媒体争议。他说：“教皇（方济各）这么做是确保信众与他接触，而不是把他当作圣物来朝拜。他是基督代表，而不是罗马皇帝。”此处的“基督代表”意指教皇（方济各）。

On Thursday, Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti addressed the criticisms aimed at Pope Francis. Gisotti stated the Francis pulled his hand away because he was concerned about hygiene⁴. The pope did not want the long line of well-wishers to spread any sickness by kissing his ring, one after the next.

周四，梵蒂冈发言人亚历山德罗·吉索蒂（Alessandro Gisotti）就针对教皇方济各的批评发表了立场。吉索蒂称，教皇抽回手是担心卫生问题。教皇不想让这么多信众挨个通过亲吻手上的戒指传播细菌。

Words in This Story

shrine – n. a place connected with a holy person or event where people go to worship

disturb – v. to worry or upset (someone); disturbing – adj.

sacred – adj. worthy⁵ of religious worship

relic – n. an object that is conserved⁶ holy

vicar – n. a priest in a certain area

hygiene – n. the things that you do to keep yourself and your surroundings clean in order to maintain good health

1 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

2 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

3 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

4 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

5 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

6 conserved   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He conserved his energy for the game. 他为比赛而养精蓄锐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Under these conditions, the total mechanical energy remains constant, or is conserved. 在这种条件下，总机械能保持不变或机械能保存。 来自辞典例句