Members of Pax Christi USA are currently on a delegation to Japan (returning March 17), where they have visited with Church leaders and Hibakusha (survivors of the 1945 atomic bomb) in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In both cities, the Pax Christi USA members have offered a message of apology and repentance for the use of the bomb, for the United States’ continued reliance on nuclear weapons, and for our country’s resistance to disarmament. They promised to continue to work for a more peaceful, demilitarized world.
The delegation has also visited cultural and historical sites, and have enjoyed the warm hospitality of their hosts.
Japanese press have covered the public events of the delegation:
- Use this link to watch a two minute video from NHK (a major news agency in Japan) — It is in Japanese but includes a clip of Pax Christi New York State leader Rosemarie Pace who delivers a message of repentance in English.
- Use this link to read an article (in English) about the delegation, posted on the website of Mainichi Shimbun, Japan’s oldest and one of its most respected newspapers.
- Use this link to read an article on the delegation written by Patrick O’Neill, published in the National Catholic Reporter (March 12)
- The Oleander Institute, which organized much of the visit in Hiroshima, was moved by the spiritual aspect of the pilgrimage, a new aspect for their work on nuclear disarmament.
One of the delegates, Ann Suellentrop, has posted several updates about the trip to the PeaceWorks Kansas City website. Use this link to read Ann’s entries.
