2015年经济学人 德国教堂 奢华的主教

 

The church in Germany

德国教堂

Bishop¹ of bling

奢华的主教

Episcopal extravagance fuels criticism of state-financed churches

主教的土豪作风激发了对国家资助教堂的批评

THE faithful of Limburg, a diocese in Hesse, have been protesting in front of their Romanesque cathedral, a few even affixing² “95 theses” to its door to make their views of their bishop unmistakable. But the prelate, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, had already gone to Rome, where he awaits a meeting with Pope Francis that will determine his future. The extent of his excesses is such that it is hard to say which detail most rankles³ Germans, and not only Catholic ones.

来自海塞一个主教教区林堡的信徒们在他们罗马式的大教堂前举行抗议，一些人甚至在教堂门口贴上“95个议题”的标语来证明其关于主教观点的正确性。但是这位主教弗兰兹彼得已经去了罗马，正等待觐见将决定其命运的教皇弗朗西斯。他行为过激的程度可以参考于：很难说是哪个细节激怒了德国人，但这个原因不只是来自天主教方面。

For some it is the petty lying. Last year the bishop flew first class to India to look at some do-goody projects. But when Der Spiegel, a news magazine, confronted him, he insisted that he had flown business class, even signing affidavits⁴. On October 10th prosecutors⁵ in Hamburg indicted⁶ him for perjury⁷.

对一些人来说，这个原因是主教撒的一个小谎。去年，主教搭乘头等舱去印度视察一些不切实际的慈善项目。但是当新闻杂志社明镜询问他时，他坚决地说自己搭的是商业舱，甚至签订了宣誓书。在10月10号，汉堡的检察官起诉他做伪证。

For others it is the pomp and luxury. In 2010, two years after he became Germany's youngest bishop at the age of 48, Bishop Franz-Peter began building a new residence next to the cathedral. The cost was estimated at 5.5m (7.43m). Then his requests piled up. His bathtub cost 15,000. Instead of resting an advent⁸ wreath on an iron frame in his chapel⁹, he wanted it suspended from the ceiling, requiring the roof to be cut open, at a cost of 100,000 instead of 10,000. In total, the cost estimates now run to 31m.

对另外一些人来说，这个原因是主教的奢华作风。在2010年，也就是在他以48岁成为德国最年轻主教的两年后，主教弗兰兹彼得开始着手在教堂旁边修建一座全新住宅。这个花销大约是550万欧元（743万美元）。接下来，他的欲望开始膨胀。他的浴缸花了1.5万欧元。不同于将圣诞节花圈放在小礼拜堂铁架上的是，主教想要将花圈从屋顶上悬挂下来，这需要打开屋顶，所需开销不是之前的1万欧元而是10万欧元。加起来，主教花费的所有开销现在达到3100万欧元。

Germans usually expect to read about such clerical ostentation¹⁰ in history books about the Reformation. Pope Francis, who has chosen simplicity¹¹ and modesty¹² as his message, makes the incongruity¹³ even starker¹⁴. In an increasingly secular¹⁵ Germany this latest scandal is disastrous¹⁶ for the churches.

德国人通常喜欢从有关宗教改革的历史书上阅读到此类关于牧师虚伪的故事。选择简单和谦虚作为自己行事方式的教皇弗朗西斯让这种矛盾凸显的更加厉害，以致达到了天壤之别的效果。在信教人数越来越少的德国，这种丑闻对教会来说真是灾难性的打击。

Germany separates church and state much less clearly than does America but more explicitly¹⁷ than Anglican Britain or Orthodox Greece. Its post-war constitution, in a clause carried over verbatim from the Weimar constitution of 1919, favours no particular faith but lets all churches levy¹⁸ taxes on their members through the income-tax system (8% or 9% of a taxpayer's bill, depending on the state). The state also finances churches directly. It still compensates¹⁹ them for expropriations dating back to 1803, when Napoleon demanded war reparations from German princes.

德国的政教分明没有美国明显，但是分的比英国圣公会和正统的希腊人要清晰。从1919年魏玛宪法中逐字逐句搬过来的条例说到，战后宪法不特别支持哪一种宗教，但是会通过所得税系统（纳税人纳税单的8%或9%，具体由不同国家决定）对所有教堂成员进行征税。国家也会直接资助教堂。国家还针对征用问题对教堂进行了补偿，这要追溯到1803年，拿破仑向德国王子要求战争赔偿。

With this money the churches take on more tasks than in many other countries. One hospital in three, for example, is run by a church, as are many crèches and schools. The churches are Germany's second-largest employers (after the government). This has drawbacks, says Eva Müller, author of a book critical of the system. A Catholic-run crèche, say, can fire a teacher who divorces and remarries, even though no secular German institution may do so. In one egregious²⁰ case last December, a woman who had been raped²¹ was refused treatment by two Catholic hospitals because abortion²² was one option.

有了这些钱，相比于其他国家的教堂，德国教堂可以承担更多的任务。例如，三分之一的医院是教堂经营的，许多托儿所和学校也是这样。教堂是德国的第二大雇主（仅次于政府）。反对该系统的作者梅薏华说，这样的系统有许多缺陷。任何一家天主教医院可以解雇离婚或再婚的老师，而所谓“世俗”的德国机构都不能这样随心所欲。去年12月份，有一件惊人的案子，一位被强奸的妇女被两家天主教医院拒绝而得不到治疗，因为天主教反对堕胎。

Aside from public funds, many churches also have half-hidden pots of money to play with. Bishop Franz-Peter, for example, built his compound with money from an endowment set up by a duke of Nassau two centuries ago. Hardly anybody knows what assets are in it. The churches urgently need to make such things transparent²³, argues Thomas von Mitschke-Collande, a former consultant²⁴ at McKinsey who has written another critique of Germany's Catholic church.

除了这些公共基金，许多教堂还有很多不透明的钱来花销。例如，主教弗兰兹彼得用养老金来建成自己的,这些养老金是由一位拿索公爵在两世纪前募集来的。人们很难知道这些钱来自哪些资产。麦肯锡公司的前顾问汤姆斯说，教堂应当立即把这些资产透明化。汤姆斯还写过另外几篇关于批评德国天主教堂的文章。

In the meantime ever more Germans respond by severing²⁵ their affiliation²⁶ with institutionalised religion. Church attendance, weddings and baptisms are all declining. The exodus²⁷ would be faster still but for the many Germans who remain church members for pragmatic reasons, such as sending children to a church school. Even so, more than 100,000 Germans leave the Catholic and Protestant church every year. In Limburg exits usually run at one or two a day, but have now jumped to about a dozen.

与此同时，更多的德国人通过切断自己和这片制度化区域的友好联系来表示抗议。教堂出席、婚礼和洗礼数量都在下降。人们的离去会越来越快，但还是有许多德国人为了一些比如送小孩去教堂学习等现实原因留在了教堂。尽管如此，每年还是有超过10万德国人离开天主教和新教教堂。在林堡，通常一天就有一两个人离开，但是现在已经上升到十几个了。

1 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。

2 affixing   

v.附加( affix的现在分词 )；粘贴；加以；盖（印章）

参考例句：

• Formally approves a document by affixing a signature. 以签名的形式正式批准文件。 来自互联网
• Forfixing, insulating, shock affixing parts or screws of many items such as appliances, stereos, and eyeglasses. 电器、音响响、光学学、电脑等的零件、螺丝固定绝缘、防震与接著。 来自互联网

3 rankles   

v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The noise that trunks and ambulances made in the street rankles me every day. 每天大街上卡车和救护车的噪音令我恼怒不已。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps that is why the tardiness of my in-laws rankles me so. 大概就是因为这个缘故，每次我的亲戚迟到，总惹得我火冒三丈。 来自辞典例句

4 affidavits   

n.宣誓书，（经陈述者宣誓在法律上可采作证据的）书面陈述( affidavit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The woman offered written affidavits proving that she was the widow of Pancho Villa. 这女人提供书面证书，证明自己是庞科·比亚的遗孀。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The appeal was adjourned for affidavits to be obtained. 为获得宣誓证明书，上诉被推迟。 来自口语例句

5 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

6 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

7 perjury   

n.伪证；伪证罪

参考例句：

• You'll be punished if you procure the witness to commit perjury.如果你诱使证人作伪证，你要受罚的。
• She appeared in court on a perjury charge.她因被指控做了伪证而出庭受审。

8 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

9 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

10 ostentation   

n.夸耀，卖弄

参考例句：

• Choose a life of action,not one of ostentation.要选择行动的一生，而不是炫耀的一生。
• I don't like the ostentation of their expensive life - style.他们生活奢侈，爱摆阔，我不敢恭维。

11 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

12 modesty   

n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素

参考例句：

• Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。

13 incongruity   

n.不协调，不一致

参考例句：

• She smiled at the incongruity of the question.面对这样突兀的问题，她笑了。
• When the particular outstrips the general,we are faced with an incongruity.当特别是超过了总的来讲，我们正面临着一个不协调。

14 starker   

（指区别）明显的( stark的比较级 )； 完全的； 了无修饰的； 僵硬的

参考例句：

• As night falls, the contrast between these worlds grows starker. 随着夜幕的降临，两个世界的对比更为鲜明。
• What's more, compared with 1992, voters face a starker economic choice. 另外，跟1992年相比，选民面临着一种更为刻板的经济选择。

15 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

16 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

17 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

18 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

19 compensates   

补偿，报酬( compensate的第三人称单数 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The company compensates her for extra work. 公司因她的额外工作而给她报酬。
• A vertical spring compensates for the weight of the sensing element. 用一根垂直弹簧补偿敏感元件的负荷。

20 egregious   

adj.非常的，过分的

参考例句：

• When it comes to blatant lies,there are none more egregious than budget figures.谈到公众谎言，没有比预算数字更令人震惊的。
• What an egregious example was here!现摆着一个多么触目惊心的例子啊。

21 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

22 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。

23 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

24 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

25 severing   

v.切断，断绝( sever的现在分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The death of a second parent is like severing an umbilical cord to our past. 父母当中第二个人去世，就象斩断了把我们同过去联在一起的纽带。 来自辞典例句
• The severing theory and severing method for brittle block are studied. 研究裂纹技术应用于分离脆性块体的分离理论和分离方法。 来自互联网

26 affiliation   

n.联系，联合

参考例句：

• There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似，但我们之间并没有关系。
• The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。

27 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。