Nuclear/nucléaire – Clerical No / Non clérical

except in France/sauf en France.

On November 10th, the Japanese bishops’ conference has called upon its government to immediately close the countries’ nuclear plants, in a document presented in Sendai, the diocese most touched by the Fukushima disaster. The five bishops present at the presentation, reports Églises d’Asie, reminded their audience that the bishops’ position wasn’t new: in 2001 they’d already told their government that, “in order to avoid a tragedy, we have to develop safe alternative sources of energy”.

Le 10 Novembre, l’assemblée générale des évêques japonnais a appelé son gouvernement à fermer immédiatement les centrales nucléaires du pays dans un document présenté à Sendai, le diocèse le plus touché par la catastrophe de Fukushima. Les cinq évêques présents à la présentation, écrit Églises d’Asie, a rappelé que sa position n’était pas nouvelle: en 2001, ils avaient déjà dit leur gouvernement que, afin d’”éviter une tragédie, nous devons développer des moyens alternatifs sûrs de produire de l’énergie”.

This time the bishops have been more explicit yet. “The whole of Japan and all Japanese have to rethink their way of being”, said Mgr Kikuchi Isao, bishop of Niigata. “ Some think that changing the life of a complete country is impossible and therefore, the plants cannot be closed down. We bishops have discussed that. Maybe we’ll be criticised for our position, but the reality is that the protection of Creation is a greater good. And it is our duty to say so.”  Whether criticism has come, we haven’t been able to trace yet. But according to ENInews, pressure from business people caused the bishops to delay their message for six months.

The Japanese catholic church is not the only one  to turn against nuclear energy; the German bishops are in favour of a rapid phase-out as well. Their French colleagues however, don’t see many reasons to worry. Although the issue provoked vivid debates during their general assembly in Lourdes last month, no principal objections whatsoever were expressed against its possible threats to Creation.

How to explain this difference? “Unlike some catastrophic visions, which portray men as the main enemy of nature”, André Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, said in his closure speech on November 9, “we live in confidence. We know that human behaviour can compromise or even destroy fragile balances in Universe. But we also know that humanity is gifted with means to overcome big problems. It has proven so in the past. And it can prove so again in the future.”