To commemorate the 1945 atomic bombing of the US of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many Pax Christi groups participated in this year’s Lanterns of Peace project, a collaboration between Pax Christi International and the Hiroshima Coventry Club and the students of Hiroshima.
On August 6, Pax Christi USA co-sponsored a prayer service at the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill in Washington DC (across from the US Capitol and the Supreme Court) to remember and repent for the bombings. Pax Christi USA Executive Director Charlene Howard gave the opening prayer and the opening reflection, sharing the story of the Lanterns for Peace with the attendees. (The event originally was to be held outside, but was moved inside due to the threat of thunderstorms.) Read Charlene’s remarks here.
On display were large lanterns from Pax Christi International, plus several smaller lanterns made and decorated by children from Little Friends for Peace, a program led by Pax Christi USA 2008 Teachers of Peace MJ and Jerry Park designed to teach peacemaking and nonviolence skills to children. (Each lantern had a small battery-operated “candle” inside.) The lanterns garnered a lot of interest after the event ended — many folks gathered around them and wanted to hear more.
Use this link to see an article posted on a Japanese news site with additional photos from the event.
In New York, members of Pax Christi displayed one of the lanterns at a Hiroshima-Nagasaki event in front of the New York Public Library and featured the lanterns prominently at events over the weekend.
On August 9, Pax Christi Metro New York joined the War Resisters League to remember, to mourn, and to call for the abolition of all nuclear weapons. Participants carried Lanterns for Peace made by students of Hiroshima, heard a letter from Hiroshima’s Mayor Matsui Kazumi (see below), processed around Tompkins Square Park, distributed fliers to passersby, prayed, and listened to the ringing of a gong 81 times for the 81 years since the bombing.
Pax Christi Austria (left photo) and Pax Christi England and Wales (right photo) were just two of the Pax Christi groups that participated in solemn ceremonies to remember the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A message from Hiroshima’s mayor to Pax Christi New York State
August 9, 2026
It is both my honor and pleasure to send this message on the occasion of Lanterns for Peace.
On August 6, 1945, a single atomic bomb instantly reduced the city of Hiroshima to a scorched plain, claiming countless precious lives. The hibakusha those who managed to survive have endured lifelong mental and physical suffering, compounded by social discrimination, prejudice, and the lasting effects of radiation. Even today, many continue to face profound challenges.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East are accelerating military buildups around the world. In some countries, policymakers are reinforcing the notion that nuclear weapons are essential for national defense. These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history. They threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked tirelessly to construct.
In times like these, it is vital to act in accordance with the Spirit of Hiroshima, a spirit that yearns for the peaceful coexistence and prosperity of all humanity. This spirit is intertwined with the plea of the hibakusha, who, having endured past grief and overcome hatred, insist that no one should ever suffer as they have. To urge policymakers who pursue security policies rooted in narrow self interest and nuclear deterrence to revise their policies, we, who aspire to a truly peaceful world, must never give up. Instead, we must work even harder to build civil society consensus for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
To achieve this, each of us must think less about ourselves and more about each other. It is crucial to expand grassroots initiatives by vitalizing cultural arts and sports exchanges that contribute to the culture of peace, and by proactively creating opportunities to share the will for peace. As such, it is profoundly meaningful that you have organized this event in which lanterns carrying wishes for peace will be carried through Tompkins Square Park. Remembering the atomic bomb victim s and renewing your resolve to achieve a peaceful world without nuclear weapons are admirable endeavors, and for this, you have my deepest respect.
The City of Hiroshima, together with approximately 8,600 member cities of Mayors for Peace, continues to expand the circle of solidarity and citizen led action across borders and instill the culture of peace, which stands in firm opposition to military force. In doing so, we will urge policymakers to shift from nuclear deterrence toward security policies grounded in trust and dialogue. I would like to ask you to join our initiatives to eliminate nuclear weapons and illuminate the path to lasting world peace.
In closing, I extend my best wishes for the great success of this event, as well as the good health and happiness of all in attendance.
MATSUI Kazumi
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima
Remarks by Charlene Howard at the August 6, 2026 prayer vigil for nuclear abolition
On the morning of August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. Three days later, August 9, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Tens of thousands of people were killed instantly, and many more died in the weeks, months, and years that followed due to burns, injuries, and radiation exposure.
The Hibakusha, survivors of this atrocity, have carried deep physical and emotional wounds throughout their lives. Yet amid the devastation, they rebuilt their communities and dedicated themselves to ensuring that such suffering would never happen again.
Every August, the world pauses for moments of mourning and remembrance; these moments invite us to renew our commitment to peace, reconciliation, and the abolition of nuclear weapons. This year, Pax Christi International, the global Catholic peace movement, has joined with the Hiroshima Coventry Club, a grassroots group partnered with the city of Coventry, England, to launch Lanterns for Peace: From Hiroshima to the World. This global, decentralized commemoration is inspired by the traditional lantern ceremonies held each year in Hiroshima, when thousands of lanterns are set afloat on the Motoyasu River near the Atomic Bomb Dome to honor those who died in the 1945 bombing and to offer prayers for peace. Participants write messages of remembrance, hope, and commitment on lanterns before releasing them onto the water. As night falls, the lanterns create a moving river of light — a symbol of memory, mourning, shared humanity, and hope for a future free from nuclear weapons.
As the US section of Pax Christi participating in this campaign, we have created the river of light for our vigil today. The large lanterns were decorated by children of the Hiroshima Coventry Club and the small lanterns are decorated by children who participate in peace camps led by Little Friends for Peace, a local organization that helps to interrupt cycles of violence and grow a culture of care and nonviolence by teaching skills to prevent, resolve, and transform conflict. Through the messages and images of peace displayed, each lantern symbolizes remembrance, hope, peace and global solidarity.
We are well aware that the threat of nuclear weapons has not disappeared. Thousands of nuclear warheads still exist worldwide, and geopolitical tensions continue to place humanity at risk. Nuclear weapons pose catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that transcend borders, generations, and ecosystems. Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki is therefore not only about the past. It is about the present and the future.
Pax Christi USA encourages our members and all people of faith who are committed to the cause of peace to:
- call on their members of Congress to support House Resolution 317, a resolution led by Representatives McGovern and Tokuda, urging the United States to lead the world back from the brink of nuclear war and halt and reverse the nuclear arms race. H.Res.317 has 26 cosponsors; a Senate resolution was recently introduced by Senators Markey, Merkley, Welch, Sanders, and Van Hollen.
- Vigorously call for the use of nonviolent measures that lead to a world free of nuclear weapons through
- the engagement in verifiable negotiations with nuclear-armed states to halt further buildups and the reduction of existing stockpiles
- advocating for a no-first-use nuclear policy, ending Cold War-era launch policies, ceasing the development and deployment of new nuclear warheads, supporting nuclear-affected communities and ensuring environmental remediation and just economic transitions, and upholding nuclear arms control agreements, including New START which expires in 2026.
We also call for more states to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). As of a few weeks ago, 100 states have ratified the Treaty, and 75 of them are currently parties to the treaty which is inspiring grassroots movements and a growing number of nations, and hundreds of municipalities around the world to take a stand.
In closing, I leave you with a quote from Pope Leo XIV who wrote the following message in his book entitled Disarmed and Disarming: Peace is a Gift:
Above all, peace is a responsibility. …“‘The times are troubled, the times are hard, the times are wretched.’ Live good lives, and you will change the times by living good lives; you will change the times, and then you’ll have nothing to grumble about”.[2] We cannot ask the powerful people in the world for peace if we do not begin to live it out ourselves, starting with our daily relationships: in our families, in our homes, in our cities, in the workplace. Peace is built with small daily gestures: the gift of a smile, an injury pardoned, a kind word.
May our small gesture be to be partners in faith along with all people of good will for nuclear abolition, to attend to the historic and ongoing harms of nuclear disasters, and lift up our sincere prayers and efforts so that all lands, communities, and beings may be safe, healthy, and peaceful.