On the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, Pope Leo XIV offered words of solidarity and prayer at the end of his Wednesday audience: “I wish to assure my prayers for all those who have suffered its physical, psychological, and social consequences.”

Referring also to the bombing of Nagasaki that is remembered on 9 August, he said:

“Those tragic events remain a universal warning against the devastation caused by war – and particularly by nuclear weapons.”

Pope Leo expressed his hope that the world today, plagued by intense divisions and deadly violence, will replace its false sense of security “based on the threat of mutual destruction” with justice, open dialogue, and trust in fraternity.

Meanwhile, four American bishops travelled to Japan for a ‘Pilgrimage of Peace’ that started on 5 August and concludes on 10 August commemorating both anniversaries. Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle and Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico led a delegation welcomed by Archbishop Peter Michiaki Nakamura of Nagasaki and Bishop Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama of Hiroshima.

On 6 August, a joint statement titled Toward Solidarity to Protect All Life was issued on behalf of US, Japanese and Korean bishops to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings. This extract condemns the use and possession of nuclear weapons:

“On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings and the end of World War II, we strongly condemn all wars and conflicts, the use and possession of nuclear weapons, and the threat to use nuclear weapons. We refuse to accept persistent justifications for atomic bombings as a means of ending war. Alongside other civil society and religious organizations, we will continue to protest the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and insist on the common good of protecting the earth and all life on it. We advocate for the ratification and expansion of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). We also commit to cooperating with efforts called for in Articles 6 and 7 of the TPNW to support victims of nuclear weapons and to restore environments affected by nuclear weapons.”

Called to be Peacemakers

In 2024, the International Affairs department of the Bishops’ Conference, published a document titled Called to be Peacemakers. In it, the Bishops affirmed that “the cost of nuclear weapons should be measured not only in the lives destroyed through their use, but also the suffering of the poorest and most vulnerable people, who could have benefited were such vast sums of public money invested in the common good of society instead.”

There are a series of action points in the document. Acknowledging that the UK is one of the few nuclear-armed states in the world, the Catholic Church in England and Wales has a particular responsibility to respond to the late Pope Francis’ call that: “Now is the time to counter the logic of fear with the ethic of responsibility, and so foster a climate of trust and sincere dialogue.”

In the section The Church’s call for nuclear disarmament, the action points, through prayer and public witness, seek the UK to:

• Ultimately forsake its nuclear arsenal, helping to create a world without nuclear weapons

• Fulfil its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty to pursue an end to the nuclear arms race, to advance multilateral disarmament, to refrain from expanding its own arsenal, and to work towards reducing it at the earliest opportunity

• Sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and, until this point, engage meaningfully with the treaty framework including participating as an observer in future meetings of signatories

• Redirect the economic, social and political resources spent on nuclear weapons towards promoting the universal common good