Pope Francis called for an end to the global use of nuclear weapons in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Aug. 9. During his speech, he mentioned the 70th anniversary of the tragic atomic bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, which claimed 214,000 lives and ended World War II.
The pope expressed his deep concern for humanity and world peace with a nuclear presence around the globe. He said that the tragic bombing in Japan “became the symbol of mankind’s enormous destructive power when it makes a distorted use of scientific and technical progress.” After offering a prayer, he stressed that the world’s citizens together need to strive for peace through an international agreement for nuclear disarmament.
As of today, nine countries - the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea - possess a total of 15,000 nuclear weapons that are ready to be launched. They are much more powerful than the bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.
The pope expressed his deep concern for humanity and world peace with a nuclear presence around the globe. He said that the tragic bombing in Japan “became the symbol of mankind’s enormous destructive power when it makes a distorted use of scientific and technical progress.” After offering a prayer, he stressed that the world’s citizens together need to strive for peace through an international agreement for nuclear disarmament.