Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle and Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with a Pilgrimage of Peace delegation from their respective archdioceses, participated in an interfaith prayer ceremony and a peace memorial ceremony to commemorate the lives lost.

They also advocated for a world free from the spectre of nuclear weapons.

The interfaith ceremony, led by the Hiroshima Prefecture Federation of Religions, was held at the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound.

Archbishop Etienne expressed the weight of the moment - "It was hard to fathom that with just one bomb, this entire city along with some 140,000 people died as a result, far more than the tens of thousands gathered this morning to remember them," he wrote on his blog.

The August 6th, 1945 bombing led to the deaths of thousands and countless others suffered from radiation-related illnesses. The survivors, known as "hibakusha," continue to bear physical and psychological scars from the tragedy.

Moving interfaith service

During the moving interfaith service, Shinto priests, religious leaders and dignitaries paid their respects, and the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi was read as a poignant reminder of the universal yearning for peace.

The Pilgrimage of Peace initiative is actively engaging with Japanese bishops to foster relationships and collaborate towards nuclear disarmament. It also extends sincere apologies for the hardships Japan endured due to the bombing.

Following the interfaith service, the Seattle and Santa Fe delegation proceeded to Hiroshima Peace Park where the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony was held.

This event, attended by over 5,000 people representing more than 110 nations, featured speeches from Hiroshima's mayor, governor, Japan's prime minister and a representative from the United Nations.

As the Peace Bell resonated at 8:15 am, marking the exact moment the bomb struck Hiroshima, a profound silence filled the air.

Archbishop Etienne emphasised the significance of the younger generation's role in peace efforts. Two young children read the Children's Commitment to Peace, inspiring a reminder that everyone can contribute to a better world through simple yet meaningful actions.

The delegation visited Gion Catholic Church, where they shared a homemade lunch with parishioners and watched a documentary about Jesuit priests who were present in Hiroshima during the bombing.

Archbishop Etienne reiterated a resounding call for nuclear disarmament, stating that thousands of nuclear weapons pose a global threat. He urged a shift towards building relationships of care, healing broken bonds and working tirelessly for a future marked by genuine and lasting peace.

Sources

National Catholic Reporter

CathNews New Zealand

In a statement to the White House, a group of 14 disarmament advocates - seven Catholics, including three bishops, and seven scientists - urged Biden to seek a new agreement with Russia to continue reducing nuclear weapon stockpiles and work worldwide to achieve their abolition.

"We are scientists committed to protecting health and safety and Catholic leaders committed to the common good of all people," the statement begins. "We are uniting in calling on President Biden to reduce the nuclear threat as our nation works with others for a world without nuclear weapons."

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They suggested faith groups could use their ability to mobilise people and public opinion, and lay out the moral and spiritual case for disarmament.

The Nobel laureates joined with leading Vatican and secular diplomats who urged world leaders to freeze investment in nuclear arms production.

Instead, the money should be for peace and development initiatives.

"Every day we are bombarded with bad news about the atrocities ... harming each other and nature, about the increasing drumbeat of a possible nuclear conflagration and the fact that humanity stands on the precipice of a nuclear holocaust," keynote speaker Cardinal Peter Turkson said.

Turkson, the first prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, was one of many voices at the Vatican-organised meeting asking for peaceful ways to be found to resolve the world's problems.

Entitled "Prospects for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament," the summit drew a line-up of world leaders.

These included United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation officials, representatives from nuclear powers including Russia and the United States, as well as South Korea and Iran.

Turkston said fears of a potential global catastrophe are rising to a level not seen since the days of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In his view ongoing discussions about nuclear weapons are "critical".

He said decisions made by global leaders about peace and war in the coming months and years "will have profound consequences for the very future of humanity and our planet."

Source

• Crux
• EWTN News
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

"We trust, we believe, we know that we are well on the way to a nuclear-free world and future," Sister Ardeth Platte (81).

Yesterday she and Sister Carol Gilbert, 69, presented a copy of the new United Nations' Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to Peterson Air Force Base personnel in Colorado.

They'll repeat the action today at Colorado's Schriever Air Force Base.

"We want the citizens of Colorado to know about this treaty," Gilbert said. "The treaty would make nuclear weapons illegal."

"We're coming as peacemakers and peace advocates, to teach and show our concern," Platte said.

"Our politicians could be heroes of these times, if they start working with nations rather than against nations."

Platte, who is a Dominican nun and Gilbert live at the Catholic Worker-affiliated Jonah House in Baltimore.

Fifteen years ago Platte, Gilbert and Jackie Hudson were arrested at the Weld Co. Minuteman III missile silo while attending a civil disobedience protest. They poured vials of their own blood on the rails leading to the silo and drew crosses on the silo's hatchet door. Hudson has since died.

In 2003 the three protesters (pictured above) were sentenced to between 31-41 months in federal prison for trespassing on the N8 Silo.

"We're in an extremely dangerous time," Platte said. "A strike could be launched from Colorado within 15 minutes and go 7,000 miles to its target within half an hour. It would be total devastation."

Source

• The Denver Post
• Image: Stars and Stripes
  

Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi says the Vatican is working to convince the public that the world is safer without nuclear weapons, rather than with them.

Tomasi is the delegate secretary to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which is working to organize the disarmament conference.

It will build on the conference to negotiate the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty, which took place in New York in March this year.

It will also build on recent progress toward international bans on nuclear weapons - for example, the first-ever UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons, that over 120 countries signed at the UN conference in early July.

Until the treaty was signed, nuclear weapons were the only weapons of mass destruction not explicitly banned by any international document.

Antonio Gutierres, Secretary General of the United Nations, has been invited to address the Vatican conference, although it is not known if he will accept the invitation.

Pope Francis, who is firmly opposed to all forms of warfare including nuclear weapons, says "the doctrine of nuclear deterrence has become ineffective against 21st century threats like terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, environmental problems and poverty."

He says these are "even greater when we consider the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that would follow from any use of nuclear weapons, with devastating, indiscriminate and uncontainable effects, over time and space."

Source

• CNA
• Independent
• Image: Twitter.com

Even a limited nuclear exchange would have devastating consequences for people and the planet, they say.

Their pleas for banning nuclear weapons come days after after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach Alaska.

"Tragically, human error or miscalculation could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe," they say in a declaration.

"We call upon the United States and European nations to work with other nations to map out a credible, verifiable and enforceable strategy for the total elimination of nuclear weapons."

Entitled "Nuclear Disarmament: Seeking Human Security," the bishops issued the declaration to coincide with the conclusion of a meeting hosted this week by the United Nations (UN).

The meeting's aim is "to negotiate a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination."

The bishops' declaration warns the UN that although the "horror of a potential nuclear war" calmed down following the end of the Cold War, "recent geopolitical developments" have reignited the fears.

They also point out that spending resources on building nuclear weapons was a waste of money, when it should be used for sustainable development projects.

"Our world has become increasingly multipolar," they say.

In this respect, they note the world is currently faced with a variety of threats, including terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, cybersecurity, environmental degradation and poverty.

"These raise doubts about the adequacy of nuclear deterrence as an effective response to these challenges," they say.

Pope Francis has made the same points on a number of occasions.

Source

• International Business Times
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: ProPublica