VOA标准英语2009年-Pope Benedict Urges Czechs to Rediscover C

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
26 September 2009

 
Pope Benedict XVI and Czech cardinal¹ Miloslav Vlk greet well-wishers as Pope visits 'Church of Our Lady Victorious²' in Prague, 26 Sep 2009 
Pope Benedict XVI began a three day visit to the Czech Republic with a call for the nation to rediscover its Christian³ roots. Forty years of communist rule in the country stifled⁴ religious activities and left the number of Catholics in decline and religious practice in general at historic lows.

The 82-year old pontiff urged Czechs to rediscover their Christian roots.

Under communism, which ended with the 1989 Velvet⁵ Revolution, the church was repressed.

Research shows that today nearly half of the country's population of 10 million claim to be non-believers.
 
Speaking in Czech, the pope said the Roman Catholic Church has been battered⁶ by four decades of totalitarian rule until the fall of communism.

The pontiff explains that the cost of 40 years of political repression⁷ when church leaders were imprisoned⁸ and Christians⁹ harassed¹⁰ is "not to be underestimated." He says that "a particular tragedy" for the Czech Republic was what he calls "the ruthless attempt by the government of that time to silence the voice of the church." He says now that religious freedom has been restored, all the citizens of the Czech Republic should "rediscover the Christian traditions which have shaped their culture."

Speaking at the same ceremony, Czech President Vaclav Klaus made clear that despite Czech distrust toward religion, the pope should feel welcomed.

Mr. Klaus says he welcomes the pontiff in Prague and the Czech Republic from all of his heart. And he hastens to add that he does not only speak for himself or his wife "but on behalf of all Czechs."

The pope's attempts to increase public confidence in the Catholic Church are overshadowed by several disputes, including the return of church properties that were confiscated¹¹ by the Communist regime in 1948.

An enduring symbol of that struggle is the 14th-century St. Vitus Cathedral, the Gothic centerpiece of Prague's medieval Hradcany Castle. Two decades after the collapse¹² of communism, the church is still fighting to recover it from the government.

The papal's envoy¹³ in the Czech Republic, Archbishop Diego Causero, has told Vatican Radio that the Catholic Church also seeks the return, or compensation, for mainly rural properties, including forests.

"Practically for 50 years it has been taken from the church and it has been used by the state. The church does not want to receive back what is lost during the period. We would like only want the of properties or compensation where properties can not be identified anymore or can not be given back because something is build on that." 

Among his first scheduled appointments Saturday was a visit to the Church of Our Lady of Victory in Prague, which holds a statue of the Infant Jesus and has become a magnet for worshippers from around the world.

Father Renzi, a monk¹⁴ from India assigned to the church, described the pope's arrival at the site as historic.

"We are very excited because the father of the Catholic Church is visiting this church. And this is the first time that any pope visits this church," he said. "This is the original shrine¹⁵ of Infant Jesus. And the pope visiting this shrine of Infant Jesus means that he is reaching out to all the shrines¹⁶ that are in the world which are dedicated¹⁷ to the Infant Jesus." 

Czech organizers hope the pope's visit will encourage 100,000 Catholic faithful, including pilgrims from neighboring Austria and Poland, to pack an airfield¹⁸ for Sunday's outdoor Mass in the town of Brno.

The gathering¹⁹ has been described as "the highlight" of the pontiff's three-day pilgrimage in the Czech Republic.

1 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。

2 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

3 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。

4 stifled   

（使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵

参考例句：

• The gas stifled them. 煤气使他们窒息。
• The rebellion was stifled. 叛乱被镇压了。

5 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

6 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

7 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

8 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

9 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。

10 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

11 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

12 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

13 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

14 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

15 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

16 shrines   

圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。
• Their palaces and their shrines are tombs. 它们的宫殿和神殿成了墓穴。

17 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

18 airfield   

n.飞机场

参考例句：

• The foreign guests were motored from the airfield to the hotel.用车把外宾从机场送到旅馆。
• The airfield was seized by enemy troops.机场被敌军占领。

19 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。