VOA标准英语2010-Catholics Celebrate Easter, Among Church

This is the heartland of Roman Catholicism. The Church has more than one billion followers¹ worldwide.

But now the Vatican is besieged² by allegations of sexual abuse and of a cover up by senior clergy³ as well as questions about Pope Benedict XVI and his role when he was still Cardinal⁴ Joseph Ratzinger.

Peter Isely was sexually abused by a priest when he was 13.  That prompted him to help establish a victims' support group in the United States.  He's come to Rome for answers.

"That's why we're here - to say, look these men in our community our fellow survivors⁵, they deserve an answer from you," said Peter Isely. "You have to talk to them."

They especially want answers about then Cardinal Ratzinger and his involvement in the transfer of a priest who abused some 200 deaf American children in Wisconsin 30 years ago.

"If he's not able to answer convincingly and clearly the evidence which is mounting in these cases, how's he going to be able to discipline and change anything," he said. "You know, he can't."

So far, the Pope has apologized for abuses in Ireland.

Elsewhere in Europe, including the Pope's native Germany, allegations of past abuses have also surfaced.  Ratzinger served as Archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.

He approved the transfer of a pedophile priest, Peter Huellermann, to the Munich Archdiocese for psychotherapy.  It's unclear if he knew the priest was allowed back into the parish and again had contact with children.

The Vatican says Ratzinger didn't know. Jesuit priest Godehard Bruentrup is a professor of philosophy at the Munich Jesuit College. 

"I cannot see that there is a direct responsibility by Ratzinger for the reassignment of Huellermann to pastoral work - maybe an indirect one because that's where the buck⁶ stops, so to speak," said Godehard Bruentrup.

But, the Pope is also known for toughening up the laws against sexual abuse in the Church. 

Still, questions remain from his time as head of the Vatican's main office of doctrine⁷ and why Cardinal Ratzinger chose not to discipline or defrock the American priest, the Reverend Lawrence Murphy. 

Francis Rocca, Vatican correspondent for the Religion News Service, says he believes the Pope is aware of the implications of these cases.

"I expect him to address the German situation as he did the Irish and I'll bet you that you'll see some kind of language that will - using very papal rhetoric⁸, acknowledge that the way the bishops⁹ were dealing¹⁰ with it in 1980 or thereabouts, when he was in that role, was we now know, not the best way," said Francis Rocca.

For many, papal rhetoric will not be enough.

"That's simply not good enough," said Isely. "They need to start using words that describe these things and what they've done about it."

Observers like Rocca think there will be a positive side.

"I think on balance it will be positive in the sense that it is stimulating¹¹ a recognition beyond the shores of North America, that this needs to be dealt with better," he said.

Many say new directives from the Vatican on allegations of abuse will be the first result.
 

1 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

2 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

3 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。

4 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

5 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

6 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

7 doctrine   

n.教义；主义；学说

参考例句：

• He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
• The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

8 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

9 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。