**阿富汗鸦片产量今年减少48%**
联合国毒品与犯罪问题办公室星期三说，阿富汗今年的鸦片产量下降了48%。
该机构的地区代表安德雷·阿维蒂斯安星期三在喀布尔公布最新调查结果说，阿富汗今年的鸦片产量为3,300吨，而去年为6,400吨。
联合国认为阿富汗执法机构和政策制定者之间的良好合作促成了减产。从阿富汗鸦片种植和生产多年稳定增长来看，此次减产的幅度是相当大的。
阿维蒂斯安说阿富汗各地的鸦片种植2015年已减少了19%，但在北部一些安全恶化的地区有所增加。
阿富汗的赫尔曼德省目前仍是阿富汗最大的罂粟生产地，但去年以来当地产量减少了16%。
UN: Afghan Opium Production Reduces By 48%
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported Wednesday that the amount of opium produced in Afghanistan during the current year dropped by 48 percent.
"We have 3,300 tones of opium production this year as compared to 6,400 tones last year," UNODC regional representative, Andrey Avetisyan, told reporters in Kabul while releasing the findings of the group’s latest Afghan opium survey.
The UNODC attributed the dramatic drop to better cooperation between enforcement agencies and Afghan policy makers. The reductions are significant following years of a steady increase in the cultivation and production of opium in the country.
Avetisyan added that opium cultivation in 2015 also went down by 19 percent across the country, however it increased in northern Afghanistan because of the deterioration of security in some places.
Helmand remains the biggest poppy producing province, but recorded a 16 percent drop since last year.
**教宗方济各就最近教会丑闻致歉**
最近发生的若干起涉及罗马天主教教会或高级神职人员的事件引发了广泛的关注。罗马天主教宗方济各罕见地为与教会有关的丑闻道歉，尽管道歉比较模糊。
教宗方济各星期三在罗马说，他以教会的名义要求对罗马和梵蒂冈最近的丑闻予以宽恕。他说， “丑闻不可避免，（丑闻）制造者是不幸的。”这后半句来自《圣经》。
教宗的评论赢得了掌声，同时也令人困惑，不知他说的是哪些丑闻。 梵蒂冈也没有回答相关的问题。
10月3日，在教宗主持召开家庭问题会议一天前，一位梵蒂冈主教公开宣布他是同性恋，当场把其男性伴侣介绍给媒体，并谴责教会在同性恋问题上的立场。
几天后，意大利罗马市市长因个人花费丑闻而辞职。他辞职还因为人们担心罗马经济拮据，无力接待前去参加12月开始的教宗禧年大庆的大批游客。
教宗方济各最近公开对罗马市市长圣马力诺表示蔑视。教皇还对记者说，他今年早些时候访问美国城市费城时，圣马力诺不应当随行前往。
Pope Francis Apologizes for Recent Scandals
Pope Francis has offered a rare, if vague, apology for scandals involving the Roman Catholic Church, after several high-profile gaffes that were linked to the church or its clergy.
Speaking in Rome at the beginning of his weekly general audience Wednesday, Pope Francis said he asks forgiveness in the name of the church "for the scandals that have recently hit Rome and the Vatican."
He added, "It is inevitable that scandal happens, but woe to the man who causes [them]." His last phrase was a quote from the Bible.
The pope's comments drew applause, but also confusion about which scandals he might have meant. The Vatican has not addressed questions about what the pope was referencing.
On October third, the day before Pope Francis opened a meeting on family issues, a Vatican monsignor publicly announced his homosexuality, introduced his male partner to the media, and denounced the Church's stance on same-sex relationships.
A few days later, Rome's mayor, Ignazio Marino, resigned in a scandal over his personal expenses and concerns that the financially strapped city would not be prepared to handle throngs of tourists expected to come to Rome for the pope's Jubilee Year, which begins in December.
The pope has been openly scornful of Marino in recent weeks, suggesting to reporters that the mayor should not have traveled to the U.S. city of Philadelphia earlier this year when the pope visited the city.
