Pope Leo and Hiroshima Mayor Seek To End Nuclear War Threat Via Dialogue

Aug. 9—On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bomb dropped on the civilian population of Hiroshima, Pope Leo XIV said Aug. 6 that, despite the eight decades which have passed, “those tragic events remain a universal warning against the devastation caused by war—and particularly by nuclear weapons.” It should serve “as a universal warning against the devastation caused… by nuclear weapons… I hope that in the contemporary world, marked by strong tensions and bloody conflicts, the illusory security based on the threat of mutual destruction will give way to… the practice of dialogue.”

The Pope spoke at the close of his General Audience, and his words followed a separate message that he sent to the Bishop of Hiroshima for their celebration of Mass for Peace

At Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park, Mayor Kazumi Matsui addressed representatives from a record 120 countries and regions, in a memorial service that included a moment of silence, observed at the exact time of the bombing—8:15 in the morning. Matsui said that the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East had contributed to a growing acceptance of nuclear weapons and raised the prospect of not learning from the devastation that such arms cause. He said that they threatened the lessons learnt about the horrors of atomic bombs.

The mayor issued a call for young people to understand the nuclear option could cause “utterly inhumane” consequences for their futures. Hence, people must work harder to ensure that nuclear weapons “be abolished for a genuinely peaceful world… Policymakers in some countries even accept the idea that ‘nuclear weapons are essential for national defense’.” They need to “take to heart the peace-loving spirit of Hiroshima, then begin immediately discussing a security framework based on trust through dialogue.”