布什又說錯話 直呼教皇爲“先生”

布什又說錯話 直呼教皇爲“先生”
Bush tours Vatican in style

President Bush and Pope Benedict

He really is priceless. Other world leaders see the Pope with their advisers and the Vatican's peerlessly punctilious protocol experts, making sure they do not commit the slightest gaffe. But George W. Bush can outwit them all. On the plane to Rome, he was already struggling.

The Pope is addressed `Your Holiness' and Roman Catholics call him `The Holy Father.'

But somewhere in the tumble dryer that is the part of the U.S. President's brain set aside for words, the two concepts got tangled and he told the reporters:

"I think His Holy Father will be pleased to know that much of our foreign policy is based on the admonition to whom much is given, much is required."

No doubt Pope Benedict, whom Mr. Bush later described as "very smart," was able to deconstruct the rest of the sentence.

But before he got down to cases with Mr. Bush, the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles and Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church had the unusual experience of being called `sir.'

"It's good to be with you, sir," said Mr. Bush as he sat down.

And the reporters could clearly hear the US leader say "Yes, sir" when the pope asked him if he was going to meet with officials of the lay Catholic Sant'Egidio community at the US embassy later during his visit.

The reporters also noted Bush's relaxed posture, crossing his legs "Texan style" while facing the pope in the private study of the apostolic palace.

Bush said his meeting with the pope, in which the president stressed his record in fighting AIDS and supporting other humanitarian causes, was a "moving experience."

"I was talking to a very smart, loving man," Bush said.

他是個德高望重的人物。其他國家領導人見羅馬教皇時都要帶着顧問和梵蒂岡最優秀的禮儀專家，以確保自己不出現一丁點的失禮行爲。而布什總統比他們都要“機靈”。在去羅馬的飛機上，他就已經開始費勁了。

教皇的尊稱爲“教皇陛下”，羅馬天主教徒則稱其爲“神父”。

可這位美國總統的腦部用詞區可能出現了混亂，對兩個概念混淆不清。他在接受記者採訪時說：

“如果神父知道我們大多外交政策都以‘多得者多漁’爲基礎，他一定會很高興的。”

無疑，被布什總統形容爲“十分精明”的本尼迪克特教皇對這句話的其餘部分還是能夠領會的。

但在與布什先生切入正題之前，這位羅馬大主教、耶穌基督的代表、宗徒之長的繼任者、普世教堂的大教皇擁有了一次被稱作“先生”的不平常經歷。

布什總統坐下的時候說：“與您在一起真好，先生。”

當教皇問他之後是否將去美國大使館接見天主教民間組織聖艾智德團體的官員時，記者們清楚的聽見他回答說“是的，先生”。

記者們還注意到布什總統的姿勢很是休閒，他與教皇單獨探討使徒宮的問題時，竟然以一種“得克薩斯的風格”翹着腿，直對着教皇。

布什在與教皇的會談中強調了他在抗擊愛滋病和支持其它人道主義事業方面所做出的成績，他說這次會談“令人感動”。

布什說：“我與一個十分聰明、可愛的人進行了對話。”

tangle:to mix together or intertwine in a confused mass（混亂；混淆；糾纏不清）

get down to cases :開始談正經事