Vatican official says Iranian nuclear program is OK if peaceful

Published: 2007-10-24

ROME (CNS) -- A leading Vatican official expressed support for the development of a nuclear energy program in Iran, as long as it serves peaceful purposes. "Nuclear energy is something that can do good for humanity" -- a principle that "is certainly valid for Iran, too," said Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Cardinal Martino spoke Oct. 23 at an interreligious gathering in Naples, Italy. His remarks, reported by the Italian news agency ANSA, came as Iranian and European officials met in Rome to try and resolve growing tensions over Iran's nuclear capability. Cardinal Martino defended the right to develop a peaceful nuclear energy program, and said any risks of improper use of nuclear technology "depend on the intentions of those who manage the program." He said, "Anything is possible, in the sense that I can use a knife to cut bread but also to kill someone." In dealing with such questions at a global level, he said, the international community must balance the need for peace and security with the necessary development of populations.

Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .