Word: bordon
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...vatican hazardous to your health? That's what Italy's Environment Minister Willer Bordon is alleging, and the Roman Catholic Church is not pleased. The dispute, which broke out in early March, centers on allegedly excessive levels of electromagnetic radiation produced by Vatican Radio's powerful transmitters. The Vatican claims that as a sovereign state under a 1929 treaty it is not subject to Italian prosecutors. Bordon says that unless emissions are reduced by the end of this week, he will order electricity suppliers to cut off the station's power...
...Political analysts speculate that debate may have been provoked to help Bordon and the governing center-left coalition in May's general elections. "There's a lot of propaganda here," says Massimiliano Valente, an expert in relations between Italy and the Holy See. "A minister can't deal with a sovereign state without following the diplomatic channels." Vatican officials have repeatedly quoted scientists claiming there is no link between electromagnetic transmissions and health problems. The officials point out that a special bilateral commission began negotiations on the problem more than a year ago. They also note that the transmitters fall...
...causing at least some embarrassment to Pope John Paul II, who has used the transmitters in question to talk about respect for the environment. To the Environment Minister, though, it's simply a matter of law. "In Italian territory, under Italian jurisdiction, Italian law is being clearly violated," says Bordon. "You can say the speed limit on the highway is not right. But if you break it, the police are going to stop you. Even if you're an ambassador." But what if you're the Pope...