Visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki Gave Me New Sense of Urgency

In August, the Catholic Archbishop of Seattle Paul Etienne joined Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe (NM) on a Pilgrimage of Peace to participate in the commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Archbishop Etienne invited me to serve as his disarmament expert. The other members of the delegation were Helen McClenahan from the Archdiocese of Seattle; Leslie Radigan, Anne Avelone, Jay Coghlan, and Karen Pettit from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe; and Hirokazu Miyazaki, a professor of anthropology at Northwestern University who served as our interpreter.

As religious leaders, both archbishops have come to understand their responsibility to speak out for a world free of nuclear weapons. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe includes two national laboratories dedicated to nuclear weapons research (Los Alamos and Sandia) and the storage of thousands of retired weapons. The Seattle Archdiocese includes the largest concentration of deployed U.S. nuclear weapons.

Archbishop Wester made headlines last year when he issued a pastoral letter, Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation toward Nuclear Disarmament, “We cannot sit back and be silent in the face of our ongoing preparations for nuclear war. … we must take up the cause of worldwide nuclear disarmament with an urgency that befits the seriousness of this cause and the dangerous threat that looms over all of humanity and the planet.”

Archbishop Etienne issued his own statement last October to mark the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, “Because Puget Sound could be on the front line in a nuclear war, I feel an urgent obligation that we review our Catholic teaching on nuclear weapons and the need to sharply reduce these weapons of mass destruction until we can eliminate them.”

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

On August 4, the nine-member delegation traveled from Tokyo to Hiroshima and toured the Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Park. On August 5, we met with Setsuko Thurlow, a hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor), and representatives of ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons). Thurlow and Beatrice Finn accepted the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of ICAN. Thurlow is inspiring with her passion for peace and her commitment to share her experience of the atomic bombing as a 13-year-old schoolgirl. As Archbishop Wester remarked in a blog post, “At 91 years of age, she is a dynamic speaker who does not pull her punches. She confronts power with truth and demands that our world leaders forge a path toward peace and nuclear arms abolition. At the same time, she is very compassionate, and her smile lights up the room.”

Touring the museum and meeting Thurlow caused Archbishop Etienne to write in his blog post from Hiroshima, “I was so profoundly moved, saddened, even sickened by all that I saw and learned. I am even more convinced and committed to following Setsuko’s lead to work for peace and advocate for the elimination of nuclear weapons.”

New Arms Race More Dangerous

In the afternoon, at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral, Archbishop Wester presented a lecture and urged that “we can no longer deny or ignore the dangerous predicament we have created for ourselves with a new nuclear arms race. This new arms race is arguably more dangerous than the past Cold War because of multiple nuclear actors and the rise of cyber and hypersonic weapons and artificial intelligence." Archbishop Etienne, in his remarks, asked people to “imagine what would happen if the nuclear powers launched a peace race instead of an arms race.”

On August 6, we arrived at the Peace Park before 6:00 am to participate in the Interfaith Prayer Ceremony which was attended by Shinto, Buddhist, and Christian religious leaders as well as local dignitaries. Then we went to another area of the Peace Park for the Peace Memorial Ceremony, joining thousands of others for the commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing. The crowd included official representatives from 110 countries—the most ever.

Among the messages presented during the somber commemoration was one delivered on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in which he warned, “the drums of nuclear war are beating once again … The nuclear shadow that loomed over the Cold War has re-emerged. … the global community must … not sit idly by as nuclear-armed States race to create even more dangerous weapons. … Disarmament is not some utopian dream. Disarmament is the only pathway to a safer and more secure world for all.”

Never Again War

Archbishop Etienne, in another blog post from Hiroshima, said, “I will carry that day in my own body, as much as my memory, as listening to and reading the stories of the many lives that perished—so many of them children—had such a visceral impact upon me. … resort to the threat or use of nuclear weapons ... is simply not morally justifiable. … Never again the use of nuclear weapons! Never again war!”

Travelling to Nagasaki the next day, we met with Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki. Due to an approaching typhoon, he rescinded all international invitations to the annual atomic bomb commemoration ceremony so that the event could be moved indoors.

Immediately following our meeting with Mayor Suzuki, the Pilgrimage of Peace delegation participated in the Interfaith Dialogue of Religious Leaders for World Peace. The first part included presentations by the organization’s director and Archbishop Wester. The last half of the meeting was an opportunity for small group discussions over dinner, developing ideas for how to be more effective in fostering peace.

Abolish All Nuclear Weapons

The following evening, August 8, the Santa Fe/Seattle delegation attended the “Memorial Ceremony for the Atomic Bomb Victims,” which had also been moved indoors. Among the religious leaders offering prayers and remembrances, Archbishop Etienne said, “Together in solidarity, we will strive ever more diligently to abolish all nuclear weapons. In doing so, we must wean ourselves from nuclear deterrence and develop a new concept of global security that also addresses the climate crisis.”

Earlier in the day, as the typhoon’s rain and wind began, we met for several hours with the bishops of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and some of their staff, developing an agreement about how the four dioceses could accelerate the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)

On August 9th, the 78th anniversary of the atomic destruction of Nagasaki, the archbishops of Nagasaki, Santa Fe, and Seattle, and the bishop of Hiroshima issued a declaration of their “Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons.” Their statement renewed the demands they made of the G-7 leaders who met in May 2023 in Hiroshima. For their part, the U.S. and Japanese bishops launched an unprecedented initiative to build an interfaith partnership that will advocate for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and for countries to redirect nuclear weapons budgets to helping vulnerable people and restoring contaminated environments.

To begin implementation of the Partnership, Archbishop Wester participated in the second meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in November.

One of the most inspiring parts of the August 6 commemoration in Hiroshima came when two sixth graders stood at the podium and presented their Commitment to Peace. In commanding voices, they proclaimed:

“Now is the time to unite our will for peace. …

We will each take action [for] peace.

We, the children of Hiroshima, will build a peaceful future.”

With that same confidence and dedication, let each of us do something daily for peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons.

NOTE: I will give a presentation on the trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the urgency for eliminating nuclear weapons at St. Leo Church (Tacoma) at 11:00 am on January 14.