Hiroshima and Nagasaki bishops tell UN, no more atomic bombs
Both of them read a communiqué to the assembly, following the address by the permanent representative of the Holy See to the United Nations, Mgr Celestino Migliore. In it, they urged world leaders to “take a courageous step toward the total abolition of nuclear weapons”.
They went further, stating, “We as the bishops of the Catholic Church of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks, demand that the president of the United States, the Japanese government and the leaders of other countries make utmost efforts to abolish nuclear weapons.”
On 9 August 1945, US B-29 Superfortress bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, the second of its kind, bringing to an end the Second World War. Some 75,000 people died.
Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami was an unborn child in his mother's womb on that fateful day. “How sad and foolish it is to abuse the progress that humanity has made in the fields of science and technology in order to destroy lives as massively and swiftly as possible,” he said.
For the archbishop, the United States alone cannot be blamed for the tragic consequences of the bomb even if that country was responsible for dropping it. Every nation that loved or loves war, including Japan, is responsible. This is why, as it is thinks about the past, the world should advance together towards the future, abolish atomic weapons and build a world without wars.
The two prelates noted that the world has 20,000 nuclear weapons. That number must be reduced if we want to build a bomb-free world. Both men hope that the two international meetings held in April and May can lead world leaders to an agreement. Individual interests must be transcended in favour of a united world.
The “bombed Mary”, the partially destroyed statue of the Virgin Mary that was located by the main altar in Nagasaki cathedral, came with the two bishops. Made in Italy in 1930s, it was damaged when Urakami Cathedral was destroyed by the A-bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki on 9 August 1945.
For the 65th anniversary of that event, there is no more appropriate symbol that can underscore the importance of non-violence, Archbishop Takami said. In recent days, thousands of faithful have prayed before what is left of the two-metre statue in New York City’s Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.
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