By Bruce Johnston, Rome Correspondent FOLLOwING intense pressure to bring the electromagentic level of its transmissions within the terms of the Italian law, Vatican Radio said this week that it had reduced its long-wave broadcasts.
The move followed a monthlong diplomatic row over the Vatican's earlier refusal to acknowledge Italian law over its "extra-territorial" transmission site in the north of Rome.
The row had developed further last week with renewed threats that the station's electricity supply would be cut off if it failed to comply by the end of this month.
The area around the suburb of Cesano on Rome's northern edge has a reportedly higher than average incidence of tumours and cases of leukaemia among children.
The Vatican had tried to defend itself by claiming extraterritorial status.
Fr Federico Lombardi, the station's director of programming, said this week that from Monday its broadcasts on 1,530 Khz were being daily reduced by seven hours.
"We have have kept our word," he said. "As promised, we have reduced by a little more than 50 per cent transmissions, which some people — and without any scientific proof— maintain are dangerous," he said. THE I EXT of Pope John Paul Ws weekly general audience, given at St Peter's on Wednesday, April 18, 2001:
"Dear Brothers and Sisters, today's General Audience takes place as the Church joyfully celebrates the great event of the Lord's Resurrection.
In this Easter season, the whole Christian community is called to contemplate the face of the Risen Christ. The readings of the Liturgy speak of Christ's appearances to his disciples after the Resurrection, when his disciples, filled with love for the divine Master, recognised him and were moved to • proclaim before the world that Jesus is alive.
"Christ reveals himself It) us today as he did to the disciples on the road to Emmaus: through the Scriptures and through his Body and Blood which he gives to us in the Eucharist.
"He asks us to beat witness to him, by our words and by the example of our lives.
"May the Blessed Virgin Mary teach us to experience in full the joy of Easter, and then let us shalt it with our brothers and sisters."