VOA标准英语2010年-Britain Prepares for Visit by Pope Ben

Pope Benedict XVI will arrive Thursday in Britain for a four-day visit.  It is only the second papal visit to the country since the Reformation and the first official state visit.

 

Claz Gomez taps away eagerly at the keyboard of her computer.  She is hugely excited about the pope's visit to Britain and has set up a papal visit blog that has so many hits the Catholic Church has brought her on board to help promote Pope Benedict's tour.

"My family would say I have been completely obsessed¹ I think!  My family would say I am obsessed," said Gomez.  "Over the past week and a half I have been trying to get articles out once a day.  For example I have a blog post on the 'Pilgrim Pack'.  The young people of the diocese have received a lovely trendy red T-shirt, the young pilgrim's booklet, and this is England so we might just need the papal visit poncho²!"

Grainne McGuire also is busy preparing for the pope's visit, but she has very different feelings.  In a small London apartment, she and a dozen other young people are making placards and imitation miters to take on the planned demonstrations³ against the visit, which thousands of people are expected to join.

"We are making these hats and we are going to be wearing them with slogans like 'God loves children, women and gays', 'Shame on You, You Bring Shame on Catholics', and 'Pope Benedict, Where is the Love?'  There are various slogans; we are going to be wearing them on our march with different banners with the reasons why we are protesting the visit," said McGuire.

 

These opposing views reflect the divisions that the visit is causing throughout society.

The pope has thanked Britain in advance for the effort involved.  "I am very much looking forward to my visit to the United Kingdom, and I send heartfelt greetings to all the people of Great Britain.  I am aware that a vast amount of work has gone into the preparations for the visit."

The cost of the preparations, $19 million, excluding security, is just one of the objections raised by opponents.  Benedict's trip is a full state visit, partly funded by the British taxpayer⁴, a privilege that has angered protesters, such as those attending this town-hall debate on the issue.

Under the umbrella group 'Protest the Pope,' they plan to hold a series of demonstrations during the visit.  Human-rights campaigner Peter Tatchell is at the forefront of the protests.  "We do not fund visits by the Grand Mufti of Mecca or the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, so why should the pope's visit get this special privileged financial support?  In particular we are concerned about the pope's role in the cover-up of child abuse," said Tatchell.

The issue of child abuse within the Catholic Church has resurfaced with further allegations coming to light, prompting accusations⁵ of a cover-up.  The pope's visit to Britain has rekindled⁶ anger among victims and campaigners who believe the Church has not done enough to address the issue.

Despite the controversy⁷, Catholics from across Britain, and even many overseas visitors, are gearing themselves up for the opportunity to see the pope.

Benedict will celebrate Mass in Westminster Cathedral in central London before addressing 2,500 young people on the square outside.  The Bishop⁸ here says it is right that the pope is being afforded a full state visit.

"The pope may not be a king of a great nation, but he is the spiritual leader of 1 in 5 people on the planet, and he is going to do a considerable amount of good while he is here I am sure, and it is quite right for our nation to fund that," said the Bishop at Westminster Cathedral.

Pope Benedict has a tightly-packed schedule in Britain; he will celebrate two open-air Masses in Scotland and London, he will meet Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister David Cameron, and he will conduct the beatification of a Cardinal⁹.

For Gomez and tens of thousands of other pilgrims, it will be a unique opportunity to see and hear from the figurehead of their faith.  McGuire and thousands of other protesters also will be following the pope every step of the way to make their objections to the visit loud and clear.
 

1 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

2 poncho   

n.斗篷，雨衣

参考例句：

• He yawned and curled his body down farther beneath the poncho.他打了个呵欠，把身子再蜷拢点儿，往雨披里缩了缩。
• The poncho is made of nylon.这雨披是用尼龙制造的。

3 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

4 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

5 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

6 rekindled   

v.使再燃( rekindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• As soon as they met again his dormant love for her was rekindled. 他们一见面，他对她的旧情如乾柴烈火般又重新燃起。 来自辞典例句
• Ive found rekindled my interest in re-reading the books. 我发觉这提起了我再次阅读这些书的兴趣。 来自互联网

7 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

8 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

9 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。