梵蒂冈：没有新生儿出生的国家：英语精读讲义

Vatican City, capital of the Catholic Church,

梵蒂冈城，天主教会的首都，

home to the pope,

教宗的驻地，

owner of impressive collections of art and history all contained within the borders of the world's smallest country,

拥有令人惊叹的艺术和历史收藏，全部容纳在这个世界最小国家的边界内，

conveniently circumnavigatable on foot in only 40 minutes.

步行只需40分钟即可轻松环游一圈。

Just how did the world end up with this tiny nation? 短語動詞

那么世界上怎么会产生这么一个微小的国家呢？

The short answer is because Mussolini, 表達脈絡

简单的答案是因为墨索里尼，

and the long answer is fiendishly complicated.

而复杂的答案则极其繁琐。

So here's a simplified medium version.

所以这里提供一个简化的中等版本。

The popes used to rule a country called the Papal States that covered much of modern-day Italy. 語法

教宗曾统治一个名为教宗国的国家，其领土覆盖了现代意大利的大部分地区。

It was during this thousand-plus year reign that the popes constructed St. Peter's Basilica, 語法

正是在这一千多年的统治期间，教宗建造了圣伯多禄大殿，

the largest church in the world,

即世界上最大的教堂，

and also built a wall around the base of a hill known as Vatican upon which St. Peter's stood. 語法

并在一个名为梵蒂冈的山丘周围修建了城墙，圣伯多禄大殿就矗立其上。

But the Kingdom of Italy next door thought Rome would make an awesome capital for their country, 講解

但是隔壁的意大利王国认为罗马会成为他们国家的绝佳首都，

and so conquered the Papal States.

于是征服了教宗国。

His nation destroyed

国家被毁后，

the pope hid behind the walls of Vatican and conflictingly refused to acknowledge that the Kingdom of Italy existed

教宗躲进了梵蒂冈的城墙后，自相矛盾地拒绝承认意大利王国的存在，

while simultaneously complaining about being a prisoner of the Kingdom of Italy, 語法

同时又抱怨自己是意大利王国的囚徒，

which according to him didn't exist.

而按照他的说法，这个王国根本就不存在。

Rather than risk religious civil war by getting rid of the pope, 講解

为了不冒着引发宗教内战的风险赶走教宗，

the Kingdom of Italy decided to wait him out assuming he'd eventually give up. 短語動詞

意大利王国决定和他耗下去，认为他最终会放弃。

But religion is nothing if not obstinate, 習語

但宗教向来是最顽固的，

and 1 2 3 4 5 popes and 60 years later,

历经1、2、3、4、5位教宗和60年后，

nothing had changed.

情况依然如故。

Which now brings us to Benito Mussolini, 表達脈絡

这就把我们带到了贝尼托·墨索里尼，

the then prime minister of Italy,

当时的意大利首相，

who was tired of listening to the pope complain to Italian Catholics about his self-imposed imprisonment.

他厌倦了听教宗向意大利天主教徒抱怨他那自我施加的监禁。

So Mussolini thought he could score some political points by striking a deal which looked like this. 講解

所以墨索里尼认为他可以通过达成一项如下的协议来捞取一些政治资本。

One,

第一，

Italy gave the land of Vatican to the pope,

意大利将梵蒂冈的土地交给教宗，

and two,

第二，

Italy gave the pope a bunch of apology money.

意大利付给教宗一大笔赔偿金。

In return, 表達脈絡

作为回报，

the pope acknowledged that Italy existed,

教宗承认意大利的存在，

and two,

第二，

the pope promised to remain neutral in politics and wars on the off chance that, 短語搭配

教宗承诺在政治和战争中保持中立，以防万一，

you know,

你知道的，

Mussolini thought this might be a thing. 用詞

墨索里尼觉得这可能会是个事儿。

The deal was signed,

协议签署了，

and a new country,

一个新的国家，

Vatican City,

梵蒂冈城，

was born.

诞生了。

And today,

如今，

the tiny nation on a hill has all the things you'd expect of a country,

这个位于山丘上的微小国家拥有你对一个国家所期望的一切，

its own government that makes its own laws that are enforced by its own police who put people who break them in its own jail.

它有自己的政府制定法律，由自己的警察执行，把违法者关进自己的监狱。

It also has its own bank and prints its own stamps and issues its own license plates,

它也有自己的银行，印制自己的邮票，发行自己的车牌，

though only its citizens can drive within its borders,

虽然只有它的公民可以在其国界内开车，

presumably because of the terrible,

想必是因为那里非常、

terrible parking.

非常糟糕的停车条件。

And as the true mark of any self-respecting nation,

而作为一个自尊国家的真正标志，

it has its own top-level domain,

它拥有自己的顶级域名，

.va.

.va。

But despite all these national trappings, 用詞

但尽管有这些国家的外衣，

Vatican City is really not like any other country.

梵蒂冈城实际上与任何其他国家都不一样。

Hold on to your fancy hat because it's about to get weird. 講解

抓紧你那漂亮的帽子，因为接下来的事情会变得有些古怪。

To understand the Vatican,

为了理解梵蒂冈，

there are two people and two things you need to know about.

有两个人兼两件事你需要了解。

The famous pope,

著名的教宗，

the incredibly confusing Holy See,

极其令人困惑的圣座，

the country of Vatican City,

梵蒂冈城国，

and along with that,

以及与之相关的，

the almost completely unknown king of Vatican City.

几乎完全不为人知的梵蒂冈城国国王。

But first,

首先，

the pope,

教宗，

who gets a throne to sit upon and from which he acts as the bishop for all the Catholics in Rome. 短語搭配

他拥有一个可以坐的宝座，以此作为全罗马天主教徒的主教行使职权。

Actually, all bishops in the Catholic Church get their own thrones,

实际上，天主教会所有的主教都有自己的宝座，

but because the bishop of Rome is also the pope,

但因为罗马主教也是教宗，

his throne is special and has its own special name,

他的宝座是特殊的，并且有自己的专用名称，

the Holy See. 文化背景

即圣座（Holy See）。

Every time a pope dies or retires,

每次有教宗去世或退休时，

there is a sort of Game of Thrones to see which of the bishops will next get to occupy the Holy See.

就会上演一场类似《权力的游戏》的戏码，看哪位主教会是下一个占据圣座的人。

So while popes come and go, 習語

所以虽然教宗来来去去，

the throne is eternal,

但宝座是永恒的，

and as such, 表達脈絡

正因如此，

the name the Holy See not only refers to the throne, 語法

圣座这个名字不仅指代宝座，

but also all the rules that make the Catholic Church the Catholic Church.

也指代使天主教会成为天主教会的所有规则。

When Mussolini crafted that aforementioned deal,

当墨索里尼制定前面提到的那项协议时，

technically he gave the land of Vatican City to the Holy See,

严格来说，他把梵蒂冈城的土地交给了圣座，

which,

而圣座，

believe it or not, 語氣意圖

信不信由你，

is a legal corporate person in international law. 用詞

在国际法上是一个合法的法人。

Basically,

基本上，

every time you hear the words the Holy See,

每次你听到“圣座”这个词，

think Catholic Church Incorporated,

就可以将其看作“天主教会股份有限公司”，

of which the pope is the CEO.

而教宗就是其CEO。

Now,

现在，

back to the king.

说回国王。

The king of Vatican City has absolute unchecked power within the country's borders, 短語搭配

梵蒂冈城国王在该国国界内拥有绝对的、不受制约的权力，

and his presence makes Vatican City one of only six remaining absolute monarchies in the world, 語法

他的存在使梵蒂冈城成为世界上仅存的六个绝对君主制国家之一，

including Brunei,

其中包括文莱、

Oman,

阿曼、

Qatar,

卡塔尔、

Saudi Arabia,

沙特阿拉伯，

and Swaziland.

和斯威士兰。

The king's absolute power is why Vatican City can't join the European Union because only democracies are allowed.

国王的绝对权力正是梵蒂冈城无法加入欧盟的原因，因为欧盟只允许民主国家加入。

Though Vatican City does,

虽然梵蒂冈城确实，

strictly speaking, 語氣意圖

严格来说，

have a legislative branch of government staffed by cardinals appointed by the pope, 語法

有一个由教宗任命的枢机主教组成的立法机构，

the king of Vatican City can overrule their decisions at any time for any reason.

但梵蒂冈城国王可以随时以任何理由否决他们的决定。

So why do you never hear about the king of Vatican City?

那么为什么你从来没听说过梵蒂冈城国王呢？

Because though king and pope are two different roles,

因为虽然国王和教宗是两个不同的角色，

they just happen to be occupied by the same person at the same time, 語法

但他们恰巧在同一时间由同一个人担任，

which has the funny consequence that because the pope is elected and the king is all powerful,

这产生了一个有趣的后果，那就是因为教宗是选举产生的，而国王拥有绝对权力，

but they're the same guy,

但他们又是同一个人，

it makes Vatican City the world's only elected non-hereditary absolute monarchy. 文化背景

这就使得梵蒂冈城成为世界上唯一一个由选举产生的非世袭绝对君主制国家。

It's this dual role that makes untangling Vatican City so difficult because the pope,

正是这种双重角色使得理清梵蒂冈城变得如此困难，因为教宗，

depending on the situation,

视情况而定，

acts either as the king of the country of Vatican City or the pope of the Holy See.

要么作为梵蒂冈城国的国王行事，要么作为圣座的教宗行事。

Got it?

明白了吗？

No?

没有？

Okay,

好吧，

here's an analogy. 表達脈絡

打个比方。

Imagine if a powerful international company, 語法

想象一下，如果有一家强大的国际公司，

say Grey Industries,

比如说叫格雷工业（Grey Industries），

had a CEO who convinced the United States to give one of its islands to the company,

它的CEO说服了美国将其中一个岛屿送给公司，

which then made the island into a new country,

然后公司把这个岛变成了一个新国家，

Greytropolis,

格雷特罗波利斯（Greytropolis），

with an absolute monarchy as its government,

其政府是绝对君主制，

and the law that the king of Greytropolis is by definition the CEO of Grey Grey 短語搭配

并且法律规定格雷特罗波利斯的国王从定义上讲就是格雷工业（Grey Grey）的CEO。

It's pretty obvious at this point that the CEO should move his corporate headquarters to the new nation so that the laws of the country can benefit the company and the company's global reach can benefit the country.

此时很明显，这位CEO应该将公司总部搬到这个新国家，这样该国的法律就能让公司受益，而公司的全球影响力也能让该国受益。

As for the man in the middle, 講解

至于夹在中间的这个人，

sometimes it's good to be the CEO,

有时做CEO感觉不错，

and sometimes it's good to be the king.

有时做国王感觉很好。

That is essentially Vatican City.

这基本上就是梵蒂冈城。

But if you're still confused,

但如果你仍然感到困惑，

don't worry,

别担心，

even other countries can't keep it straight. 習語

即使是其他国家也搞不清楚。

For example,

例如，

the United Nations has the Holy See,

联合国的成员是圣座，

the corporation,

即那个公司，

as a member,

作为成员，

but not Vatican City,

而不是梵蒂冈城，

the actual country.

即那个实际的国家。

And the Holy See gives passports to Vatican City citizens that other countries accept,

而且圣座向梵蒂冈城公民发放被其他国家所认可的护照，

even though those passports come from a company,

尽管这些护照来自于一家公司，

not a country.

而不是一个国家。

And speaking of Vatican City citizens, 表達脈絡

说到梵蒂冈城公民，

they are perhaps the strangest consequence of the pope's dual role as religious leader and monarch.

他们也许是教宗作为宗教领袖和君主双重角色中最奇怪的产物。

While other countries mint new citizens with the ever-popular process of human reproduction, 習語

当其他国家通过广受欢迎的人类繁衍过程来培养新公民时，

Vatican City does not.

梵蒂冈城却并非如此。

No one in Vatican City is born a citizen,

没有人在梵蒂冈城一出生就是公民，

and that's not just because within a rounding error, 習語

这不仅仅是因为在统计误差范围内，

there are no female Vaticans.

没有女性的梵蒂冈人。

The only way to become a citizen is for the king of Vatican City to appoint you as one. 語法

成为公民的唯一途径是梵蒂冈城国王任命你为公民。

And the king only appoints you a citizen if you work for the pope,

而国王只有在你为教宗工作时才会任命你为公民，

who is also the king.

同时教宗也是国王。

And because the king is all

而且因为国王是绝对

powerful, your citizenship is at his whim. 習語

权威的，你的公民身份全凭他的意愿。

If you quit your job for the pope,

如果你辞去了为教宗工作的工作，

the king,

国王，

who is also the pope,

也就是教宗，

will revoke your citizenship. 短語搭配

将撤销你的公民身份。

These rules mean that Vatican City doesn't have a real permanent population to speak of. 習語

这些规则意味着梵蒂冈城没有真正意义上的常住人口。

There are about 500 full citizens,

大约有500名正式公民，

which is fewer people than live in single skyscrapers in many countries.

这比许多国家单栋摩天大楼里住的人还要少。

And all these citizens work for the Holy See as either cardinals or diplomats or the pope's bodyguards or other Catholic-related jobs.

所有这些公民都为圣座工作，比如枢机主教、外交官、教宗保镖或其他与天主教相关的工作。

So it's best to think of Vatican City as a kind of sovereign corporate headquarters that grants temporary citizenship to its managers rather than as a real city-state like Singapore, 講解

所以最好把梵蒂冈城看作是一种拥有主权的公司总部，向其管理人员发放临时公民身份，而不是像新加坡那样真正的城邦，

which has a self-reproducing population of citizens engaged in a variety of economic activities,

因为后者拥有自我繁衍的公民人口，且从事各种经济活动，

both of which Vatican City lacks.

而这两点梵蒂冈城都不具备。

But in the end, 表達脈絡

但说到底，

the reason the world cares about Vatican City is not because of the citizens within its walls, 語法

世界之所以关心梵蒂冈城，并不是因为其城墙内的公民，

but because of the billion members of its church outside of those walls.

而是因为在这些城墙之外有其十亿计的教会信徒。