Cardinal Reinforces Pope's Message on Nuclear Energy

Earlier this week, we pointed to a story on how Pope Benedict supported the peaceful use of nuclear energy in a papal address. Now, one of his Cardinals is reinforcing that message:

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.

[...]

"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.

Can't argue with that kind of logic, now can you?

Comments

Anonymous said…

I am glad to hear this. I had been confused about the Catholic Church's position on the nuclear energy issue, because I've seen some anti-nuclear articles in Catholic newspapers.

I am glad to see a Cardinal speak out, as well as the Pope.

August 1, 2007 at 11:34 AM

Anonymous said…

Regarding the Italian paradox, I'm not so sure that Italians are against nuclear power plants in general but rather against nuclear power plants operated by Italians.

Chernobyl was not the only event of note at the time of the referendum in 1987. At the same moment, Italy's First Republic was also starting to collapse in the storm of the Maxi Trial and endless revelations of mind-blowing corruption at every level of Italy's political and economical life. 1987 is only 5 years before Mani Pulite and the final blow to the political domination of the DC. The public trust in any institution was very, very low.

August 3, 2007 at 1:44 AM

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