Archbishop John C Wester of Santa Fe has travelled to Japan on a “pilgrimage of peace” commemorating the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II.
The pilgrimage, which the archbishop undertook last year as well, was announced 3 August by the Santa Fe Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
The itinerary included meetings with Japanese and Korean bishops, religious and civic leaders, and hibakusha, the Japanese term for those who survived the 6 and 9 August 1945, atomic bombings that slaughtered 110,000-210,000 people.
In a Q&A interview with OSV News, Archbishop Wester stressed the need to recall the horrors of the bombings and to redouble efforts to eradicate nuclear weapons.
“We are now in a nuclear arms race arguably far more dangerous than the first,” he told OSV News.
“The Catholic Church, which is squarely pro-life, has an opportunity to lead in this regard. Pope Francis has boldly and unequivocally asserted that even possessing nuclear weapons is immoral.
“We must take this assertion seriously and do something about it, adding nuclear disarmament to our church’s pro-life stance.”
