The Da Vinci Code《达．芬奇密码》（精讲之一）

Michael: Simple? With a brand-new $47-million headquarters in Manhattan.

Bishop: Our followers are generous, should we apologize for that?

Michael: Perhaps a less defensive tack, Your Eminence. The press continue to be harsh with us.

Bishop: We are not Cafeteria Catholics. We don't pick and choose which rules to follow. We follow doctrine. Rigorously.

Michael: Does doctrine necessarily include vows of chastity, tithing and atonement for sins through self-flagellation and the cilice?

Bishop: Many of our followers are married. Many of them have families. Only a small proportion choose to live ascetic lives in the cloisters of our residential halls. But we are all united in God’s work around the world. Surely that is an admirable way to lead one’s life.

Michael: Why are some media referring to Opus Dei as “God’s mafia”?

Bishop: Obviously, some people fear what they don't understand. And because the war finally draws to a close.

Michael: Bishop, we need to stay on message.

Bishop: That will be all, Michael, thank you.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Talking point

论据，尤指“有利的”论据。Something, such as an especially persuasive point, that helps to support an argument or a discussion.

这个片段是主教在练习接受采访的说辞。所以才有“Let's cover the talking points again”。

2. Tithes

指的是“什一税”，即 the tenth part of agricultural produce or personal income set apart as an offering to God or for works of mercy, or the same amount regarded as an obligation or tax for the support of the church, priesthood, or the like.

3. Cilice

A small metal chain with inwardly-pointing spikes. 这是一种苦修的天主教徒所使用的一种工具，一种金属链条，由多个带铁钩的金属环串起来。

4. Draw to a close

这个片语的意思是“渐近结束”，例如： Campaigns draw to a close.

5. Stay on the message

To “stay on message” is to be persistent in getting your point across. When you stay on message, you don't allow yourself to be distracted from your purpose.

It is also used in British English to mean following the party or corporate line of thinking, e.g. Politicians are urged to stay on message.

文化面面观

Opus Dei vs Cafeteria Catholic

1. Opus Dei

Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei

Opus Dei, Roman Catholic organization, particularly influential in Spain, officially the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei. Opus Dei was founded in 1928 by a wealthy lawyer turned priest, Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer y Albas, who objected to the liberal, secular atmosphere at the Univ. of Madrid. As a Catholic institution, it emphasizes that ordinary Christians can achieve holiness and change society for the better through how they live their everyday lives. Opus Dei gained national importance in Spain after the civil war, when it received support from goverment of Francisco Franco. In the 1950s and 60s it replaced the Falange as the most important conservative political and religious force in Spain. Its influence there, however, has waned since the early 1970s.

Receiving increased support from the Vatican since the late 1970s, the organization has grown to more than 85,000 members in more than 80 countries. In 1950 the Vatican recognized it as a secular institute; in 1982 it was given the status of “personal prelature.” Its membership is now, therefore, considered a separate diocese with its own bishop.

Believing that a Catholic can lead a holy life without taking religious vows, lay members pledge to serve God in worldly vocations; roughly a third of the members live communally and celibately in Opus Dei centers. The movement seeks to promote traditional Catholic values and teaching and to oppose liberalism and immorality, and is noted for its emphasis on preaching to government officials, professionals, intellectuals, and business executives. Opus Dei has been controversial among some Catholics because of its secretive nature, its emphasis on discipline, its conservatism, and its historical association with the Franco regime in Spain. This controversy became pronounced in 1992 when the Vatican, under John Paul II, beatified Escriva; Escriva was canonized in 2002.

Monsignor Javier Echevarria, the current Prelate of Opus Dei

需要说明的是，在《达．芬奇密码》中，许多关于Opus Dei 的描写是错误的。For example, the major villain in The Da Vinci Code is a monk who is member of Opus Dei — but in reality there are no monks in Opus Dei. The Da Vinci Code implies that Opus Dei is the Pope's personal prelature — but the term "personal prelature" does not refer to a special relationship to the Pope: It means an institution in which the jurisdiction of the prelate is not linked to a geographic territory but over persons, wherever they be. Nonetheless, Brown claims that his portrayal of Opus Dei was based on interviews with members and ex-members, and books about Opus Dei. An Opus Dei spokesman questions this claim.

2. Cafeteria Catholic

The term Cafeteria Catholic (also a la carte Catholic or CINO = "Catholic In Name Only") is a pejorative or an insulting characterization and is used to describe people who dissent from certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church while maintaining an identity as Catholics. These people are said to view the Church much like a "cafeteria", where one picks and chooses only those items that appeal to them. The term is typically applied to those who blatently dissent from selected Catholic moral teaching on issues such as abortion, contraception, premarital sex, and homosexuality. The term is less frequently applied to those who dissent from other Catholic moral teaching on issues such as social justice, capital punishment, or just war. Groups labeled as such include Call to Action, FutureChurch, DignityUSA, and Catholics for a Free Choice. Some of those who employ the term in their vocabulary accuse those who view the term pejoratively of believing dissent from the constant teaching of the Church to be a form of devoutness.

It should be noted that the epithet is not created, used, or endorsed by official church teaching.

考考你

将下面的句子译成汉语。

1. 伊拉克和谈将在芬兰结束。

2. 使用一些能帮你“加强重点”的技巧。

Click《人生遥控器》（精讲之九）考考你 参考答案

1. 约翰一直走了六个小时才到他朋友家。

John walked six hours straight to get to his friend’s house.

2. 我希望我们的计划不会失败。

I hope our plans won't fall through.