“Nuclear arms offend our shared humanity and betray the dignity of creation, whose harmony we are called to safeguard” Pope Leo XIV said in a message addressed to Bishop Alexis Shirahama of Hiroshima, and read by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Francisco Escalante Molina during the celebration of Mass for Peace in Hiroshima.
Each year, we remember the horrific events of August 6 and August 9, 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only time nuclear weapons have been used against human targets.
For 80 years, the earth and its inhabitants have lived under the threat of nuclear destruction. Trillions of dollars have gone into their development and maintenance, while actual human needs of shelter, health care, food, and education are deeply underfunded.
From its founding in 1945 in the aftermath of World War II, Pax Christi has prioritized the work of nuclear disarmament. The Pax Christi International secretariat is a proud member of the Nobel Peace-prize awardee International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons.
As Pope Francis said in his June 2022 message to the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, “Nuclear weapons are a costly and dangerous liability. They represent a ‘risk multiplier’ that provides only an illusion of a ‘peace of sorts.’ Here, I wish to reaffirm that the use of nuclear weapons, as well as their mere possession, is immoral. Trying to defend and ensure stability and peace through a false sense of security and a ‘balance of terror,’ sustained by a mentality of fear and mistrust inevitably ends up poisoning relationships between peoples and obstructing any possible form of real dialogue. Possession leads easily to threats of their use, becoming a sort of ‘blackmail’ that should be repugnant to the consciences of humanity.”
>>Use this link to sign the petition of apology to the people of Japan for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This message with signatures will be sent to the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to Nobel laureate Nihon Hidankyō (the organization of atomic bomb survivors), and to church leaders.
>>Listen to the August 5 episode of “All Kinds of Catholic,” a podcast produced in the UK by Theresa Alessandro, for an interview with Jim Nolan, author of Atomic Doctors: Conscience and Complicity at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age and president of the St. Kateri Institute which organizes the Nagasaki Bell Project.
>> Wednesday, August 6: Annual Nuclear Prayer Day — Use this link to find lots of resources and ways to be involved.
>>Friday, August 8, 7 PM: Zoom event hosted by Pax Christi New York State and Pax Christi Metro New York, with excerpts from the Pax Christi International webinar “80 years of memory and action: Honoring the past, advancing disarmament, and building a peaceful future,” and time for discussion amongst attendees. Please contact nypaxchristi@gmail.com by August 7 for the Zoom link.
>> Check the Back from the Brink website for lists of commemoration events taking place around the country.
- Our July 2025 Prayer-Study-Action email on the looming threat of nuclear war
- Novena for nuclear disarmament, created by Pax Christi Maine and repurposed for the Archdioceses of Santa Fe and Seattle’s pilgrimage to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 2023
- Join the 40-day fast for Christian nonviolence (July 1-August 9).
- The Clinton Franciscans offer this interactive quiz designed to raise awareness about the critical issue of nuclear weapons proliferation across the globe.
- Nuclear arms race PDF
- Use this link to find a compilation of pop culture responses to nuclear weapons. (Thanks to Nick Mele for his work on this.)
Find additional resources for observing these commemorations at the following links:
- Prayer service for Hiroshima Day adapted and designed by Rosemarie Pace of Pax Christi New York
- Pastoral letter from Archbishop John C. Wester calling for nuclear disarmament (available for purchase in hard copy here)
- The Risk of the Cross: Living Gospel nonviolence in the nuclear age, written by Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace Art Laffin. Designed for small group reflection and discussion.
- A prayer for nuclear disarmament prayer cards, written for Pax Christi USA by Sr. Diane Smith
- A prayer for nuclear disarmament by Kim Vanderheiden, Pax Christi Northern California
- “Nuclear Weapons Are Illegal” banner
- Additional resources on nuclear disarmament
HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI COMMEMORATIONS 2025
To add your event, send the info to Stephen Niamke, Pax Christi USA National Field Organizer, at sniamke@paxchristiusa.org
Pax Christi Metro New York/New York State
- Tuesday, August 5, 12-1 PM: Vigil outside the Japanese Consulate, Park Avenue and 48th Street, sponsored by the Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World and endorsed by Pax Christi New York State/Metro New York.
- Friday, August 8, 7 PM: Zoom event, with excerpts from the Pax Christi International webinar “80 years of memory and action: Honoring the past, advancing disarmament, and building a peaceful future.” Please contact nypaxchristi@gmail.com by August 7 for the Zoom link.
- Saturday, August 9: Join War Resisters League, Tompkins Square Park, with the support of Pax Christi New York State/Metro New York.
Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore/Washington DC area
- Wednesday, August 6, 7-8 AM: Vigil at the Pentagon in the designated protest zone on the southeast side of building. (Take south exit from Pentagon Metro station, walk a short distance on sidewalk toward south parking lot. Vigil site is on left behind fencing.)
- Saturday, August 9, 10 AM: Vigil outside the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue NW (north side)
Pax Christi Maine
- Wednesday, August 6, 1:30-3 PM: Davenport Park, 245 Main Street, Bangor, ME. Pax Christi Maine and the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine invite you and your community to gather as people of faith and conscience to share prayers, reflections, music and periods of silence to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the horrific atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States.
- Wednesday, August 6, 7 PM: Friends Meeting House, 1837 Forest Avenue, Portland, ME. Join us for a powerful evening of remembrance and reflection as we mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—an event that forever altered the course of history and the lives of generations.
Past events
August 5: On this 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Pax Christi Texas invited all to gather via Zoom to reflect on the true human and social costs of nuclear weapons, both in the context of historical detonations of nuclear devices around the world and their continuing legacy. Presenter Cooper Christiancy gave an overview of advocacy against nuclear weapons that is currently developing in Texas and throughout the United States, with an emphasis on ways to connect with local, national, and international networks for peace, environmental justice, and human rights.
July 16: Webinar offered by Pax Christi Korea to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Trinity atomic test and to launch the Pax Jubilee 2025 Declaration. Pax Christi USA Executive Director Charlene Howard was one of the panelists. Learn more here.
July 16: The atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 was NOT the very first nuclear weapon to be detonated. The first nuclear explosion occurred with the Trinity bomb, which the US detonated in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945. Join this online teach-in about the Trinity atomic bomb test to learn more. Offered by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom US DISARM/End Wars Committee and the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee. Use this link to register.
Two videos on the peace crane:
In the first video, Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace Judith Kelly shares the story of how the origami crane came to symbolize nuclear disarmament and peace, and in the second video, she demonstrates how to fold the crane.