VOA标准英语2010年-Pope Leads Followers into Holy Week

Pope Benedict XVI holds a woven palm frond¹ while celebrating an open-air Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, 28 Mar² 2010

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Pope Benedict XVI led tens of thousands of worshippers in a special mass in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday - the start of Holy Week commemorating³ the last days in the life of Jesus Christ.  But, this year the Catholic Church faces a crisis amid growing allegations of sexual abuse by priests and a cover up by the Church.

 

By mid-day the vast square in front of St. Peter's Basilica was packed with people.  Some had come to watch the spectacle of the outdoor Palm Sunday mass; but for most this was a unique opportunity to celebrate the beginning of holy week alongside the Church hierarchy⁴, including the Pope.

But this year the Roman Catholic Church is facing a growing crisis amid a flood of accusations⁵ of sexual abuse of children by priests over the decades and allegations of a cover up by senior clergy⁶.

And the scandal has reached all the way to the top - to the time when the Pope, then Cardinal⁷ Joseph Ratzinger was Archbishop of Munich and when he then headed the Vatican's main doctrine⁹ office.  Questions have been raised about his handling of sex abuse cases and whether he had a role in keeping them quiet.  The Vatican says he had acted properly.

 

Pope Benedict has spoken out publicly about the scandal in Ireland in a letter to the faithful in which he criticized Irish bishops¹⁰ for their handling of such cases. 

But it is time for full transparency says Robert Mickens, Vatican correspondent for the Catholic weekly, the Tablet.

"We have heard victims ask for the release of all the records that they have in their files, because not all of them have been made available to civil authorities," he said.

Some of the worshippers in St. Peter's Square acknowledged the scandal would hurt the Church, but they seemed reluctant to be openly critical.

WORSHIPER: "Sure, I think it could hurt the Church, but I think people also make decisions about their faith and in some cases separate the Church and the actions of the human member of the Church from their faith."

A visitor from Spain echoed those sentiments.  He says there are so many priests and one should not judge them all by the actions of a small group.

For many Catholics, says Robert Mickens, that is not enough.

"I think that people want their church leaders not just to say they are sorry for others, for their predecessors¹¹ or other bishops or priests around the world, but to take responsibility for the entire Church," he said.  "I think Pope Benedict XVI has got to say that he too has been, just like every other bishop⁸, slow to come around to answering adequately this problem."

The Pope made no direct mention of the growing scandal during his Palm Sunday sermon.

 

1 frond   

n.棕榈类植物的叶子

参考例句：

• The weavers made a hat from palm fronds.织工用棕榈叶织成了一顶帽子。
• The village hut was thatched with palm fronds.乡村小屋用棕榈叶作顶。

2 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

3 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

4 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

5 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

6 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

7 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。

8 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

9 doctrine   

n.教义；主义；学说

参考例句：

• He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
• The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

10 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

11 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》