MANILA (Fides): The bishops of the Lingayen-Dagupan ecclesiastical region—the metropolitan archdiocese and five suffragan dioceses—have declared the proposed nuclear plant in the western Pangasinan region of northern Luzon “an unacceptable risk.”
In an open letter circulated within the community and sent to civil authorities, they highlighted that the region, located near the East Zambales tectonic fault, makes any nuclear project extremely dangerous and potentially very harmful to the local population.
“Not in Pangasinan, nor anywhere else!” declared Catholic representatives, urging officials and citizens to “prioritise people’s lives and the common good over profit.”
The message recalled the Fukushima disaster that struck Japan in 2011, underscoring the inherent dangers of nuclear energy and its potential to “cause irreversible damage to life, livelihoods, and the environment.”
It also cited Pope Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si’, which calls for prudence, intergenerational solidarity, and a commitment to identifying “renewable energy sources to safeguard future generations.”
A nuclear power plant raises concerns regarding safety, the environment, and ethical and moral perspectives, according to the representatives from six Catholic dioceses who have issued an appeal against it.
Representatives of Catholic communities have observed that “our region has been blessed by God because it possesses a very high potential for renewable energy,” emphasising that there is no need “to develop dangerous technologies that generate profits for private companies but put our people at risk.”
