VOA新闻杂志2023--教皇方济各出席本笃十六世的葬礼

教皇方济各出席本笃十六世的葬礼

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has led the funeral of former leader, Pope Benedict XVI. Tens of thousands of mourners attended the event Thursday in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Some called on the Church to name Benedict a saint.

Benedict retired¹ as pope in 2013. He was the first to do so in 600 years. Most popes lead the Church until they die.

At the end of the funeral, some people in the crowd shouted in Italian, "Make him a saint now!"

About one-third of all popes have been declared saints in the 2000 years the Church has existed. That includes three of the last five popes.

Benedict has been both praised and criticized for his service. Conservative Catholics liked his support of a more traditional Church. Critics accuse him of protecting clergy² accused of sex crimes, and other wrongdoing.

Francis sat for most of the service because of a knee injury. He only named Benedict once at the service attended by 50,000 people.

He stood at the end as Benedict's coffin³ was being carried away for a private burial inside the church. Lowering his head in prayer, Francis briefly⁴ touched the casket.

A record documenting Benedict's time as pope was placed in his coffin along with other objects. The document says Benedict "fought with firmness" against sexual abuse by clergy in the Church.

Benedict largely avoided public appearances after his resignation. But, he remained a leader for Catholic conservatives, who disagree with modern reforms made by Francis.

People from all over the world, and many from Benedict's native Germany, had arrived early in the morning to say goodbye. There were also a few heads of state and some European royalty⁵.

About 200,000 people went past Benedict's body while it was lying-in-state for three days until Wednesday evening.

The service started when 12 people carried the coffin holding Benedict's remains⁶ out of the basilica. They then placed it on the ground before the church. Bells rang the entire time.

The last time a sitting pope had led a funeral for an earlier pope was in 1802. That was when Pius VII led the service for Pius VI, whose body returned to the Vatican after he died in 1799 in exile.

Francis used many biblical references and Church writings in the service. He appeared to compare Benedict to Jesus, including his last words before he died on the cross: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."

Words in This Story

saint — n. a person who is officially recognized by the Christian⁷ church as being very holy because of the way he or she lived

reference — n. the act of mentioning something in speech or in writing

commend — v. entrust someone or something to

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 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。

3 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

4 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

5 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。