IN THE NEWS - Pope John Paul II Is Laid to Rest in Vatican C

IN THE NEWS - Pope John Paul II Is Laid to Rest in Vatican City
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Saturday, April 09, 2005

I'm Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

(SOUND: Religious singing in Latin)

 
Pallbearers carry the coffin¹ of Pope John Paul II. He is buried at St. Peter's Basilica. 
... from the funeral in Vatican City on Friday for Pope John Paul the Second. Political and religious leaders from around the world joined mourners at the services in Saint Peter's Square. The leader of the world's more than one thousand million Roman Catholics died last Saturday at the age of eighty-four.

Now the church must choose a new leader to take the place of the man whose influence helped end communism in Eastern Europe.

The College of Cardinals² will begin meeting on April eighteenth. Cardinals are top officials in the church. They are known by their red hats. One hundred seventeen cardinals will elect the next pope.

The cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel³ to hold what is called a conclave⁴. From Latin, that means "with key." The process is meant to involve great secrecy⁵. Except to sleep, the cardinals must stay in the chapel until they have chosen a pope. Church law requires that they hold at least one vote on the first day.

But Vatican observers say it is not likely that a new pope will be elected that quickly. Traditionally two-thirds of the cardinals, plus one, must agree. But the rules permit a simple majority if the cardinals cannot decide after repeated votes.

The cardinals burn unsuccessful ballots⁶, sending up black smoke for people to see. White smoke signals a decision. If that happens, an official announces "habemus papem" -- we have a pope. Then a special ceremony takes place to confirm the new leader.

The last time that happened was in nineteen seventy-eight, when Karol Wojtyla became John Paul the Second. He was fifty-eight, young for a pope. And he was a surprise choice. The Polish priest became the first non-Italian pope in more than four centuries. Over the years, he became known for other firsts.

For example, John Paul expressed sorrow for the past treatment of Jews and Muslims by the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first pope to visit Jewish and Islamic religious centers.

John Paul also was the first pope to travel widely around the world. He was like a magnet with crowds, often especially with the young.

Many people considered him a very modern pope. Still, his defense⁷ of the traditional teachings of the church brought criticism. John Paul rejected appeals to let Catholics end unwanted pregnancies⁸ or use modern birth control. He firmly opposed same-sex relationships. And he defended the stand against women in the clergy⁹.

Still, as many as four million people gathered in Rome as Pope John Paul the Second was laid to rest. The crowds shouted "santo subito," calling for immediate¹⁰ sainthood for the man known as the "people's pope."

IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English, was written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Steve Ember.

1 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。

2 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。

3 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。

4 conclave   

n.秘密会议，红衣主教团

参考例句：

• Signore,I ask and I prey,that you break this conclave.各位阁下，我请求，并祈祷，你们能停止这次秘密会议。
• I met my partner at that conclave and my life moved into a huge shift.我就是在那次大会上遇到了我的伴侣的，而我的生活就转向了一个巨大的改变。

5 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

6 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

9 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。

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。