VOA标准英语2014--天主教徒担心移民问题

 

Relic¹ of Saint Draws Catholics Worried About Immigration Issue 天主教徒担心移民问题

LOS ANGELES —

A Roman Catholic saint who is a figure of devotion for those crossing the border into the United States is attracting believers concerned about the plight² of undocumented immigrants.

Toribio Romo Gonzalez was a priest who died in the so-called Cristero War, a rebellion against Mexico's anti-clerical government of the 1920s. Canonized as Saint Toribio in 2000, many Hispanic Catholics have come to view him as the patron saint of migrants.

An ankle bone from the priest, housed in a small wooden statue in his image, is on loan from Mexico and has been making the rounds of churches in Southern California.   

It has struck a responsive chord with immigrant Catholics in this suburban³ church, including Peruvian-born Lucy Castro.

“When my children [were] five years old, the immigration took my husband for about one month,” said Lucy Castro, a Peruvian immigrant.

After a month in detention⁴, her husband was released pending⁵ an immigration hearing. Castro believes Saint Toribio helped the family through the crisis.

The relic has drawn⁶ those worried about the plight of tens of thousands of migrant children from Central America who have fled to the United States and are awaiting detention hearings.

Sunday, thousands attended a mass at the Los Angeles Catholic cathedral to venerate⁷ the relic and hear testimonials, including from a Honduran woman, who described her escape from violence and arrival in the United States six weeks ago with her young son.  

Jersey⁸ Vargas, a 10-year-old U.S. citizen, told of her visit to Rome to meet Pope Francis in March. She told the pontiff about her father, who was then in detention in the United States. Days later, her father was released, pending an immigration hearing.

“I want him to please give us immigrant reform because many families are suffering. And I already suffered the same situation and I don't want it to happen again to anyone,” Vargas said.

Joshua Oliveros, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, knows that the immigration issue is divisive, but said he believes in miracles.

“Hopefully, Barack Obama he will bring this opportunity, not only for a few people, but for everyone because I believe that people who come from different parts of the world can make a difference,” he said.

Church leaders call the plight of undocumented migrants a humanitarian⁹ crisis.  They say something must be done for the millions separated from families by their immigration status - with help from a Catholic saint and political leaders in Washington.

1 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

2 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

3 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

4 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

5 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 venerate   

v.尊敬，崇敬，崇拜

参考例句：

• They came to venerate him as a symbolic figure.他们把他当作偶像来崇拜。
• We were taught to venerate the glorious example of our heroes and martyrs.我们受到教导要崇敬英雄、烈士的光辉榜样。

8 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。