VOA标准英语2014--Pope Francis Hopes Dual Canonizations Will Reconcile Church

 

Pope Francis Hopes Dual¹ Canonizations Will Reconcile Church 

On April 27, two popes - John the XXIII and John Paul II - will be made saints in a ceremony at St. Peter’s Square. The dual canonization is part of the current pope’s program to reconcile liberals and conservatives in the Roman Catholic Church.

“Saint Now!” has been the chant of Pope John Paul II’s impatient fans since his death in 2005.  Only six years later the healing of an ailing² Costa Rican woman was credited as his second required miracle.

According to Jesuit priest and Vatican watcher Thomas Reese, Pope Francis was then asked by the people in charge of the canonization when he wanted to schedule it.

“And Pope Francis’ response was, 'well what about John XXIII?' And they said, 'well, he’s only got one miracle, and he needs two miracles in order to become a saint, in order to be canonized'," Reese recalled. "And his response was, 'Says who? He’s the Pope!' ”

John Paul II is certainly the better known of the two. The Polish pope journeyed to the far corners of the earth and his papacy is often believed to have accelerated the fall of Communism.

John XXIII only became pope in 1958 because the cardinals³ couldn't decide whom they wanted, says Reese.

“He was an old man," explained Reese. "They elected him as kind of a placesitter.”

But he convened⁴ the Second Vatican Council to modernize⁵ a seemingly anachronistic⁶ institution.

“This was an extraordinary move because we hadn’t had an ecumenical council like this in a long, long time,” Reese noted⁷.

The council decided⁸ Mass no longer had to be in Latin and opened a dialoguewith other faiths.   Some traditionalists feel John XXIII and the council went too far, while some liberals feel John Paul II was dogmatic and covered up clerical sex abuse. Francis wants to reconcile these groups, Reese explained.

“So this is a symbolic⁹ way for him to say we’re all one family," he said. "We’re all united by Jesus Christ, and we can all come together to celebrate both of these men.”

The two popes are both examples for clergy¹⁰ today, according to Rev¹¹. Richard de Lillio, a professor of homiletics at Catholic University of America in Washington.  

“I think what they had that every preacher should have is dynamism," Lillio said, "and the second thing they had that every preacher should have is they preached what they believed and witnessed it."

 

 Fans of Francis say that also describes the current pope.

1 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

2 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

3 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。

4 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

5 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

6 anachronistic   

adj.时代错误的

参考例句：

• In remembering historic events,the mistake you tend to make is anachronistic.在记历史事件时，你容易犯的错误是时代错误。
• English public schools are anachronistic.英国的公立学校已经落伍过时了。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

10 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。

11 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。