VOA慢速英语--罗马教皇圣诞节,新年因冠状疫情而搬入室内

The leader of the world's Roman Catholics, Pope² Francis, will lead his Christmas message from inside the Vatican to avoid gathering³ large crowds.

Traditionally, the pope has given his message on the outdoor balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. However, the new coronavirus restrictions⁴ will change how the Pope's Christmas message will be given, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The restrictions bar people from going to St. Peter's Square. Papal events will be given live on the internet and broadcasted on television around the world instead.

Italy plans to have a nationwide lockdown during most of the Christmas and New Year holidays. Nonessential shops will be closed between December 24 and 27, December 31 and January 3 and from January 5 to 6. On these days, people will be permitted to travel only for work, health or emergency reasons.

In addition to the Christmas message, five speeches that are usually given from the windows at St. Peter's Square between December 26 and January 6 will be moved inside.

The rules will restrict⁵ the number of people able to attend events inside St. Peter's Basilica in December and early January.

The pope's Christmas Eve Mass will start two hours earlier than usual. Only a limited number of people are to attend. They must return home before the 10 p.m. curfew in Italy.

Italy is facing a second wave of COVID-19 infections. For several months, few members of the public have attended events outdoors. Now, all meetings are indoors⁶ or organized online with limited public involvement.

Italy was the first Western country hit by the new coronavirus. It has had more than 69, 214 deaths linked to the virus since its outbreak started there in February. It has had the most deaths in Europe and the fifth-highest number in the world. The country has also recorded around two million COVID-19 cases to date.

Words in This Story

balcony –n. a raised structure that connects to the side of a building

papal – adj. related⁷ to the pope or the government of the Roman Catholic¹ Church

lockdown – n. a situation where people are not permitted to leave their homes for an official reason like a health crisis⁸; when prisoners are locked in their cells because of an emergency

nonessential – adj. not extremely necessary

Mass – n. a religious service in the Roman Catholic Church

outbreak – n. a sudden start or increase in a disease or in fighting

1 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

2 pope   

n.（罗马天主教的）教皇

参考例句：

• The Pope is the spiritual leader of many Christians.教皇是众多基督徒的宗教领袖。
• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 restrict   

n./vt.限制，限定，约束

参考例句：

• He feels this new law will restrict his freedom. 他觉得这一新法律会限制他的自由。
• Don't restrict her proper activities.不要拘束她的正当活动。

6 indoors   

adv.(在)室内，(在)户内

参考例句：

• Because of the coldness of the weather we stayed indoors.我们因天气寒冷呆在家里。
• It is very cold outside,you'd better come indoors across the board.外面很冷，你们所有人最好都进屋。

7 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

8 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。