As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — and as renewed nuclear threats emerge in current conflicts — several U.S. Catholic bishops will travel to Japan on a “Pilgrimage of Peace.”
Japan
Catholic Group Raising Funds to Help Ring in New Bell of Nagasaki
The St. Kateri Institute, based in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is raising money to replace a bell blasted from one of the towers of the Urakami Cathedral in the Aug. 9, 1945 attack on Nagasaki.
U.S., Japanese Bishops Pledge to Concretely Work Toward ‘A World Without Nuclear Weapons’
On the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle and Archbishop John C. Wester of Sante Fe, New Mexico, joined three Japanese bishops in a formal pledge to concretely work toward “a world without nuclear weapons.”
Tokyo Archbishop Condemns Political Violence After Former Japanese PM Assassinated
After a gunman fatally shot former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe during a campaign rally in western Japan on Friday, July 8, Archbishop Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo lamented that “violence kills democracy.”
New Mexico Archbishop Pushes for Nuclear Disarmament
Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe says he vividly remembers a somber day on a 2017 trip to Japan where he heard the story of school children rushing to their classroom windows on an August day in 1945, attracted by the bright light of an atomic bomb detonating.
Persistence Pays Off: Rower Has Sights Set on Gold in Tokyo 2020 Olympics
After being cut from the U.S. women’s rowing team before the Rio 2016 Olympics, rower Kristine O’Brien wasn’t sure if she should try again for Tokyo in four years’ time. But, after receiving encouragement from her family and coaches, O’Brien decided to devote another four years to training — in hopes of representing the United States in the next Summer Games.
Bishops From Japan, U.S. Call Catholics to Work for Nuclear Disarmament
The path to true peace requires the world to abolish nuclear weapons, an American bishop and a Japanese archbishop said as the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings at the end of World War II approached.
Pope Says Financial Reforms are Working, Wants Anti-Nuke Stance in Catechism
Pope Francis said Tuesday that the latest round of financial scandal at the Vatican is actually a success story, because the situation was revealed thanks to an internal Vatican probe, which he said demonstrates that new controls are working.
In Japan, Pope Calls for End to Nuclear Weapons
Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Pope Francis visited Japan Nov. 23-26 as a “pilgrim of peace. The pontiff visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki to deliver a message against nuclear weapons, calling them “immoral” and urging nations to get rid of them.
Pope Calls Himself a ‘Missionary Pilgrim’ in Japan
Over half a century since joining the Jesuits with the hope of becoming a missionary in Japan, Pope Francis finally fulfilled the dream of visiting this land.