VOA标准英语2009年-Green Patriarch Brings Environmentalism to

By Elizabeth Lee
Washington
06 November 2009

 
Patriarch Bartholomew
Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of close to 300 million Orthodox Christian¹ around the world, recently visited Washington, D.C. to speak about environmental issues. The Patriarch met with U.S. leaders to encourage them to push for environmental initiatives.

He has been called the "Green Patriarch" for being an advocate of the environment.

Close to 300 million Orthodox Christians² around the world know him as their spiritual leader.

This is Patriarch Bartholomew's first visit to the United States since President Obama took office. Speaking at a Washington policy institute, he urged America's leaders to move boldly and quickly to protect the global environment.

"We can no longer afford to be passive observers in this crucial debate," Patriarch Bartholomew says, "If we are to save our planet sacrifices must be made by all."

Patriarch Bartholomew says how people treat the environment is a reflection of how they treat each other. "We must re-learn the sense of connectedness, for we ultimately be judged by the tenderness with which we respond to human beings and to nature," he said. 

His two-week trip to the U.S. included hosting a conference on the environment in New Orleans, a city where signs of economic and environmental devastation³ from Hurricane Katrina four years ago, still exist.

"How could the most powerful nation on earth appear so powerless in the face of such catastrophe⁴? Certainly not because of a lack of resources? The truth is that we tend somewhat conveniently to forget situations of poverty and suffering," Patriarch Bartholomew said.

During his Washington visit, Patriarch Bartholomew met with President Barack Obama, Vice⁵ President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The 69 year old patriarch discussed everything from the environment to health care. He says the two topics are linked. Speaker Pelosi says lawmakers from both parties share his views. 

Many of us in congress respond to your leadership and guidance on this subject," Pelosi says, "Many believe, and many of the evangelicals in our country share the belief, that this planet is precious, is God's creation and we have a moral responsibility to preserve it.

Patriarch Bartholomew says there is still time to act, saying he hopes the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December will set the agenda for the future. "It is not too late. God's work has incredible healing powers," he says, "Within a single generation we could steer⁶ the earth toward our children's future. Let that generation start now."

Patriarch Bartholomew says the desire to preserve the future for the next generation should transcend⁷ differences in politics and religion.

1 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。

2 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。

3 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

7 transcend   

vt.超出，超越(理性等)的范围

参考例句：

• We can't transcend the limitations of the ego.我们无法超越自我的局限性。
• Everyone knows that the speed of airplanes transcend that of ships.人人都知道飞机的速度快于轮船的速度。