Pope Francis Hiroshima Anniversary: Pontiff Addresses Atomic Bomb, Calls For Nuclear Weapons Ban

Pope Francis took a moment to speak in remembrance of the painful moments humanity went through when the August 6 of 1945 atomic bombings of the two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by the United States during World War II occurred. After the Angelus prayer, the pontiff said, “this tragic event still gives rise to horror and revulsion,” before he continued to explain that he thinks the bombings were merely a symbol of “the vast destructive power of human beings when they make distorted use of scientific and technical progress.”

The Pope also told the attendants in St. Peter’s Square that humanity should simply reject war and most definitely “ban nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction.” The pontiff insisted the tragic anniversary could serve a purpose to us nowadays: “Most of all, the sad anniversary is a call for prayer and to work for peace, to spread throughout the world an ethic of brotherhood and a climate of serene coexistence among peoples,” he said.

“From every land,” the Pope prayed, “let one voice rise: no to war, no to violence, yes to dialogue, yes to peace!” Before the pontiff went on to speak about his concerns for Salvadorians, he said: “The only way to win a war is not to make war.”