2006年VOA标准英语-Pope Celebrates First Baptism Ceremony

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
08 January 2006
 

Pope Benedict XVI baptizes a baby during a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel¹   
  
Pope Benedict has celebrated² his first baptism ceremony, in the Sistine Chapel. In homily, he denounced what he called the "culture of death" that pervades³ the modern world.

Surrounded by the magnificent frescoed⁴ walls of the Sistine Chapel, Pope Benedict baptized five boy and five girls. He resumed a tradition that, due to ill health, his predecessor⁵ had stopped practicing during the past few years.

The ceremony was held on the day the Roman Catholic Church remembers the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. Ten couples held their babies, dressed in beautiful white dresses.

The pope said, "we hope for a good life and happiness for these children, whose future is still unknown." He said that, with the baptism, a child joins a company of friends that will never abandon him, in life or in death.

He said no one knows what will happen on our planet and in Europe in the coming decades. "But we are certain," he added, "that those who belong to the family of God are never alone."

In his improvised⁶ homily, Pope Benedict also used the opportunity to denounce what he called a "culture of death" in today's world. "In our times, we need to say 'no' to the largely dominant⁷ culture of death," he said. "We say 'no' to this culture to cultivate a culture of life."

He described what he called an "anti-culture" of drug use, flight from reality, illusions, false happiness, and sexuality based purely⁸ on pleasure and devoid⁹ of responsibility.

Before pouring water on the heads of the babies, Pope Benedict said, baptism is a strong "yes" to Christ, a "yes" to life.

After the ceremony, at midday, as he does every Sunday, the pope addressed thousands of pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square. He also spoke¹⁰ in English.

"I greet all the English-speaking visitors present at this Angelus," he said. "This celebration of the baptism of our Lord is a joyful¹¹ reminder¹² of the gift of our own baptism, grateful for the new life given to us in the sacrament. May Christians¹³ always bear witness in the world to the values and truths of the kingdom of God."

Sunday's baptisms were Pope Benedict's first. His predecessor, Pope John Paul, baptized almost 1,400 babies during his more than 26-year pontificate.

1 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。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 pervades   

v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• An unpleasant smell pervades the house. 一种难闻的气味弥漫了全屋。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• An atmosphere of pessimism pervades the economy. 悲观的气氛笼罩着整个经济。 来自辞典例句

4 frescoed   

壁画( fresco的名词复数 )； 温壁画技法，湿壁画

参考例句：

• The Dunhuang frescoes are gems of ancient Chinese art. 敦煌壁画是我国古代艺术中的瑰宝。
• The frescoes in these churches are magnificent. 这些教堂里的壁画富丽堂皇。

5 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

6 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

7 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

8 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

9 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

12 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

13 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。