Reuters AlertNet Lite - Vatican says nothing wrong with nuclear power

Reuters AlertNet Full site

NEWSDESK

Vatican says nothing wrong with nuclear power

01 Aug 2007 12:57:29 GMT
Source: Reuters

ROME, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Nuclear power should be considered a useful energy source, a senior Catholic cardinal said on Wednesday, criticising countries like Italy which have banned the technology on principal.

Weighing into a debate that sharply divides environmentalists, many of whom see nuclear as unsustainable and unsafe, Cardinal Renato Martino said nuclear power could be part of a balanced energy mix, alongside "forms of clean energy".

"With maximum safety requirements in place for people and the environment, and with a ban in place on the hostile use of nuclear technology, why should the peaceful use of nuclear technology be barred?" Martino, the Pope's justice minister, told Vatican Radio.

While Iran's nuclear programme has highlighted concerns about proliferation of nuclear weapons, many countries in Europe have chosen not to have nuclear power plants due to concerns about the environment and potential accidents.

Martino said such a policy might be counterproductive.

"Excluding nuclear energy because of a preconceived principle or for fears of disasters could be a mistake and in come cases could have paradoxical effects.

"One should think of Italy, which abandoned the production of nuclear energy in 1987 but which imports the same type of energy from France," said Martino, a former papal envoy to the United Nations.

Italians voted in a referendum to ditch nuclear power in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Supporters of nuclear power say it could be used as a way of reducing reliance on fossil fuels which emit greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

Pope Benedict on Sunday marked the fiftieth anniversary of the International Atomic Energy Agency by calling for "progressive and agreed nuclear disarmament and to favour the peaceful and assured use of nuclear technology for real development".

AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article Send comments

Countries

Small country map
© 2004 Europa Technologies Ltd.

Reset map

• Iran profile
· View map

MORE >>

NGO latest

• Severe Poverty in the UK
Save the Children - International Alliance

• Participating in the broader health agenda
International HIV/AIDS Alliance - UK

MORE >>

Latest news

• Vatican says nothing wrong with nuclear power

• Rice seeks peace momentum in Middle East visit

• Saudis to open Iraq embassy, answer U.S. criticism

• CHRONOLOGY-Deadliest bomb attacks in Iraq

• Pope says Iraq soccer triumph lifts peace hopes

MORE >>

Last updated:Wed Aug 1 12:59:36 2007