2007年VOA标准英语-Fiercest Critic of Zimbabwe's President Sued Fo

By Peta Thornycroft
Africa
17 July 2007

Zimbabwe's state-controlled media are carrying explicit¹ photographs of a man they claim is Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube, allegedly taken with a naked woman inside his bedroom. Peta Thornycroft reports for VOA the outspoken³ critic of President Robert Mugabe is being sued by a civil servant who said the cleric destroyed his marriage.

Archbishop Pius Ncube (file photo)

Archbishop Ncube, sounded weary on the telephone from his home in Bulawayo. He said the pictures were part of what he called "a long-term strategy." He said many people had shown him support and he is praying a great deal.

The pictures, allegedly taken by a secret camera in the Archbishop's bedroom, show a naked man the state press says is Pius Ncube and a woman in a bed in the same room.

The state media was on hand Monday when the sheriff of Bulawayo served a summons on the Archbishop at St. Mary's Cathedral.

The summons says a technician at the National Railways of Zimbabwe, Onesimus Sibanda, claims his wife Rosemary worked at the cathedral and was having a two-year affair with the archbishop. Sibanda has demanded about $100,000 in damages.

Rosemary Sibanda, told Zimbabwe state media she was separated from her husband at the time she began a sexual relationship with the archbishop.

A founder⁴ of the opposition⁵ Movement for Democratic Change, attorney David Coltart, founding said the revelations in the state press and the summons appeared to be a well co-ordinated campaign to embarrass the outspoken government critic.

Coltart said he does not believe a state-employed railway technician could have afforded a sophisticated operation like the one that produced the lurid⁶ pictures published in the state press and on television.

He said Archbishop Ncube was President Mugabe's most consistent critic, and the state had felt restrained from arresting, torturing or killing⁷ him, as happened to many others who opposed the present government.

He said President Mugabe had obviously known in advance of the revelations as he referred to priests on July 7, saying, "Some of them have sworn to celibacy⁸ but they sleep around."

Coltart said it is hypocritical for the government to focus on this issue because President Mugabe had children with a married woman when his first wife, Sally, was dying.

Coltart said he and many of his colleagues and friends would support Archbishop Ncube, regardless of whether the allegations contained in the summons or in the state press proved to be true or not.

A lawyer for the archbishop, Nicholas Mathonsi, said in his years as a lawyer in Bulwayo he had never seen a summons delivered with a crowd of state journalists in attendance.

A long-time parishioner in the archbishop's church, said she was not concerned about what he might or might not have done in his private life. "He has never condemned⁹ human frailty¹⁰, but he has always condemned evil," she said.

Over the years, several senior Catholic clerics in Zimbabwe have had children and remained in the church, despite their vows¹¹ of celibacy. This is the first time a Catholic cleric's alleged² sexuality has been made public in Zimbabwe.

1 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 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。

6 lurid   

adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的

参考例句：

• The paper gave all the lurid details of the murder.这份报纸对这起凶杀案耸人听闻的细节描写得淋漓尽致。
• The lurid sunset puts a red light on their faces.血红一般的夕阳映红了他们的脸。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 celibacy   

n.独身(主义)

参考例句：

• People in some religious orders take a vow of celibacy. 有些宗教修会的人发誓不结婚。
• The concept of celibacy carries connotations of asceticism and religious fervor. 修道者的独身观念含有禁欲与宗教热情之意。

9 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

10 frailty   

n.脆弱；意志薄弱

参考例句：

• Despite increasing physical frailty,he continued to write stories.尽管身体越来越虛弱，他仍然继续写小说。
• He paused and suddenly all the frailty and fatigue showed.他顿住了，虚弱与疲惫一下子显露出来。

11 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。