July 29
[ 2007-07-30 08:00 ]
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| The train of Diana's
dress was 25 ft long |
| 1981: Charles and Diana marry |
England have
Crowds of 600,000 people filled the streets of London to catch a
glimpse of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on their wedding day.
The couple were married at St Paul's Cathedral before an invited
congregation of 3,500 and an estimated global TV audience of 750 million -
making it the most popular programme ever broadcast.
Britons enjoyed a national holiday to mark the occasion.
Lady Diana, 20, arrived almost on time for the 1120 BST ceremony after
making the journey from Clarence House in the Glass Coach with her father,
Earl Spencer.
She made the three-and-a-half minute walk up the red-carpeted aisle
with the sumptuous 25 ft (7.62
m) train of her Emmanuel designed, ivory taffeta and antique lace gown
flowing behind her.
Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Robert Runcie led the traditional Church of
England service, but he was assisted by clergymen from many denominations.
The bride's nerves showed briefly when she mixed up the Prince's names
- calling him Philip Charles Arthur George, rather than Charles Philip.
Charles, 32, in the full dress uniform of a naval commander, slightly
muddled his vows too, referring to "thy goods" rather than "my worldly
goods".
After a brief private signing ceremony the Prince and Princess of Wales
walked back down the aisle to the refrain of Elgar's Pomp and
Circumstance.
Balcony embrace
The newlyweds took the open-topped state landau to Buckingham Palace
where they emerged on the balcony at 1310 BST to give the crowds the kiss
they had been longing to see.
Afterwards Charles and Diana retired from the public gaze to enjoy
toasts and a wedding breakfast with 120 family guests.
A "just married" sign attached to the landau by Princes Andrew and
Edward raised smiles as the married couple were driven over Westminster
Bridge to get the train to Romsey in Hampshire to begin their
honeymoon. |
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| Pope says contraceptives
could lead to infidelity |
|
1968: Pope renews birth control
ban | Artificially 1969:
The Pope Paul VI
has confirmed a ban on the use of contraceptives by Roman Catholics in
spite of a Church commission's recommendation for change.
Most members of the Pontifical Commission, set up by Pope Paul's
predecessor Pope John XXIII, argued it was time for the Church to face the
realities of the modern world.
They said that with the increasing emancipation of women and the
introduction of safe contraceptives the time had come for the Church to
change its position.
However, a minority disagreed and published their own report advocating
Church policy remain unaltered.
The papal encyclical letter, entitled Humanae Vitae: On the Regulation
of Birth - comes after two years of deliberation by Pope Paul.
He withdrew an earlier version after being warned by liberals within
the Church it was too uncompromising and likely to alienate many Catholics.
However, the new version is said to differ little from the original.
'Rhythm method'
Pope Paul admitted the ruling on birth control might seem impossible to
carry out: "Like all great beneficent realities, it demands serious
engagement and much effort," he stated in the encyclical.
If the Roman Catholic Church were to permit the use of birth control "a
wide and easy road" to conjugal infidelity would be opened up, Pope Paul
concluded.
However, the Pontiff reaffirmed Pope Pius XII's edict that the "rhythm
method" - total abstention of sexual intercourse during a wife's fertile
period - was permissible.
A possible loophole in Pope Paul's directive is the use of
contraceptives for medicinal reasons, such as regulating a woman's periods
- one of the major applications of the Pill.
Pope Paul conceded a woman using a contraceptive for health purposes
would not be in breach of Church policy, even if such use brought about
temporary infertility.
However, the encyclical is still bound to cause dismay among the
world's 600 million Roman Catholics - many had been pressing for a
relaxation of the church's stance. |
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| Vocabulary:
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sumptuous : of a size or splendor suggesting great
expense; lavish（奢侈的；華麗的）
alienate : to cause to
become withdrawn or unresponsive; isolate or dissociate
emotionally（疏遠）
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