Vatican radio transmitter

Has the Vatican discovered a unique way of bringing people to God?

Dozens of its radio transmitters, which transmit religious messages around the world in 35 languages, are situated in Cesano, a village north of Rome, and emit levels of radiation beyond those allowed by Italian standards. Locals claim that transmissions have interfered with phone calls, TV sets and doorbells and some say they can even hear the transmissions over their phones. More importantly, the transmissions are now being blamed for interfering with human health, with locals blaming them for the higher than normal levels of cancer and childhood leukemia in several villages. In April discontent flared when hundreds of residents staged an angry protest against the Vatican and its transmitters. In its defense, the Vatican has argued that it is not bound by the national standards, as the transmitter is located on Vatican, as distinct from Italian, land.

Italy’s Environment Minister, Willer Bordon, insisted vigorously that the Vatican comply with the country’s emissions standards and threatened that, if it did not do so, he would order electricity to be cut off from the facility. However, the Vatican was not so easily tamed. When the Prime Minister refused to support Bordon’s stand, the Minister was obliged to resign in protest.

The Italian government has assigned US $124,500 to address concerns about EMR. In a statement released to the press, the government said the funds would be used for “the prevention and fight against electromagnetic pollution.” Ironically, the source of this funding is the sale of spectrum licenses for third generation mobile phones last October, which generated a total of 12.45 billion dollars.

(Reuters, 21.04.01.)

EMRAA News June 2001, Vol 6 No 2