pope

[al:] [ar:] [ti:Pope] [offset:4000] [0:0]欢迎访问 我爱音乐 [00:14.73]Iˇm Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. [00:20.62](SOUND: Religious singing in Latin) ... from the funeral in Vatican City on Friday [00:26.51]for Pope John Paul the Second. [00:32.41]Political and religious leaders from around the world joined [00:38.30] mourners at the services in Saint Peter's Square. [00:44.19]The leader of the world's more than one thousand million Roman [00:50.08] Catholics died last Saturday at the age of eighty-four. [00:55.98] Now the church must choose a new leader to take the place of th [01:01.87]e man [01:07.76]whose influence helped end communism in Eastern Europe. [01:13.65]The College of Cardinals will begin meeting on April eighteenth. [01:19.55]Cardinals are top officials in the church. [01:25.44]They are known by their red hats. [01:31.33] One hundred seventeen cardinals will elect the next pope. [01:37.23][On April 9 the Vatican announced that two cardinals were in poor health [01:43.12] and would not attend.]The cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel to hold [01:49.01] what is called a conclave. From Latin, that means "with key." [01:54.90] The process is meant to involve great secrecy. Except to sleep, [02:00.80] the cardinals must stay in the chapel until they have chosen a pope. [02:06.69]Church law requires that they hold at least one vote on the first day. [02:12.58]But Vatican observers say it is not likely that a new pope will be elected that quickly. [02:18.47]Traditionally two-thirds of the cardinals, plus one, must agree. [02:24.37] [02:30.26]But the rules permit a simple majority if the cardinals cannot decide after repeated votes. [02:36.15]The cardinals burn unsuccessful ballots, sending up black smoke for people to see. [02:42.04] White smoke signals a decision. [02:47.94]If that happens, an official announces "habemus papem" -- we have a pope. [02:53.83]Then a special ceremony takes place to confirm the new leader. [02:59.72]The last time that happened was in nineteen seventy-eight, [03:05.61]when Karol Wojtyla became John Paul the Second. [03:11.51]He was fifty-eight, young for a pope. [03:17.40]And he was a surprise choice. [03:23.29] The Polish priest became the first non-Italian pope in more than four centuries. [03:29.18]Over the years, he became known for other firsts. [03:35.08]For example, John Paul expressed sorrow for the past treatment of Jews and Muslims [03:40.97] by the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first pope to visit Jewish [03:46.86]and Islamic religious centers. [03:52.76]John Paul also was the first pope to travel widely around the world. [03:58.65]He was like a magnet with crowds, often especially with the young. [04:04.54]Many people considered him a very modern pope. [04:10.43]Still, his defense of the traditional teachings of the church brought criticism. [04:16.33] John Paul rejected appeals to let Catholics end unwanted pregnancies or [04:22.22] use modern birth control. He firmly opposed same-sex relationships. [04:28.11]And he defended the stand against women in the clergy. [04:34.00]Still, as many as four million people gathered in Rome as Pope John Paul [04:39.90]the Second was laid to rest. The crowds shouted "santo subito," calling for [04:45.79] immediate sainthood for the man known as the "people's pope." [04:51.68]IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English, was written by Jerilyn Watson. Iˇm Steve Ember.