Vatican City, Oct 2, 2008 / 09:14 am
The International Atomic Energy Agency is currently holding its General Conference in Vienna, Austria. Archbishop Dominique Mamberti addressed the assembly regarding the necessity of working to ensure the use of nuclear technology for the good of all the people of the world.
Speaking to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday, Archbishop Mamberti recalled how the IAEA works "to protect and promote life in a most crucial area of human endeavor: the peaceful use of nuclear energy."
The first topic raised by the prelate, who is in charge of the Vatican’s relations with States, is the necessity of working together to share expertise in the three areas of its mandate: technology, safety and verification. The IAEA’s efforts should "always be to unite and associate, not to divide and oppose," he said.
Cooperation between States is the desire of the Holy See, Archbishop Mamberti explained, saying that they should "promote nuclear safety and security, ensure the non-diversion of nuclear materials and the absence of undeclared nuclear activities. These instruments will not only contribute to the fight against nuclear terrorism, but also to the concrete realization of a culture of life and peace capable of promoting in an effective way the integral development of peoples."