Pope strongly condemns atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima, Nagasaki
August 10, 2015
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Following his August 9 Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis strongly condemned the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
“Seventy years ago, on the 6th and the 9th of August 1945, the terrible atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki took place,” he said. “Even after so many years, this tragic event still arouses horror and revulsion.”
“This [event] has become the symbol of mankind’s enormous destructive power when it makes a distorted use of scientific and technical progress and serves as a lasting warning to humanity so that it rejects forever war and bans nuclear weapons and all arms of mass destruction,” he continued, adding:
Above all, this sad anniversary urges us to pray and strive for peace, to spread brotherhood throughout the world and a climate of peaceful coexistence between peoples. May one cry rise up from every land, ‘No’ to war and violence and ‘Yes’ to dialogue and to peace. With war one always loses. The only way to win a war is never to wage it.
The Pope also called for prayers for El Salvador, where, he said, “the suffering of the population has worsened owing to the famine, the economic crisis, social clashes and growing violence.”
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Further information:
- Le parole del Papa alla recita dell’Angelus, 09.08.2015 (Holy See Press Office)
- Angelus Domini 2015.08.09 (Vatican YouTube)
- Pope Francis: Revulsion of Hiroshima & Nagasaki attacks (Vatican Radio)
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Posted by: FredC -
Aug. 11, 2015 3:15 PM ET USA
The Kohls article is instructive, but he does not address the issue of defending justice, as compared to capitulating to an unjust aggressor. I read somewhere that Edward Teller wanted the atomic bomb dropped in the harbor, so the Japanese would see its destructive power without seeing the killing of civilians. Both Nagasaki and Hiroshima apparently had many Christians and few military targets, so we must wonder about the reasoning behind the target selection.
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Posted by: aclune9083 -
Aug. 10, 2015 7:57 PM ET USA
The best estimate at the time predicted that, without the atomic bombs, the invasion and subjugation of the Japanese islands would cost at least 1 million Allied lives and untold losses of the Japanese who would have resisted to the death. In addition, Stalin's armies were prepared to invade from the north and west, with untold Communist-inflicted casualties and enduring control of the Kamatchka peninsula. Pope Francis, understand the real world.
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Posted by: Louise01 -
Aug. 10, 2015 7:39 PM ET USA
Hind sight is always right! hmmm!
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Posted by: Minnesota Mary -
Aug. 10, 2015 6:54 PM ET USA
Read the article by Gary Kohls on "The Un-Christian Crime against Nagasaki" on Consortium News for a better perspective on this subject.
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Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
Aug. 10, 2015 6:22 PM ET USA
There were alternatives to using the A-bomb, but Dresden's bombing and the Japanese A-bombs demonstrated to the Soviets that we had the power to end the war or to continue it if they continued to march west into the rest of Europe. Was it a just use of force? Almost certainly not.
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Posted by: Lucius49 -
Aug. 10, 2015 2:21 PM ET USA
In a real sense this is not new. Venerable Pius XII condemned the bombing back then. His was a lonely voice. The allied bombing of Dresden was also immoral including German bombings of London and elsewhere which were not atomic because they indiscriminately bombed with no intention to limit damage to those in combat. Hence many civilians were killed.
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Posted by: koinonia -
Aug. 10, 2015 1:27 PM ET USA
Unfortunately the comments appear to be made in a vacuum without the truly tragic historical context of brutal aggression. Again, nobody is justifying the end result; there is no "good" outcome. Unfortunately, "war is hell" as it always has been. But comments, in fairness, ought to be made with reference to context.
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Posted by: garedawg -
Aug. 10, 2015 11:48 AM ET USA
Unfortunately, the war was won by deliberately slaughtering civilians, which contradicts Catholic teaching on just wars.
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Posted by: koinonia -
Aug. 10, 2015 9:51 AM ET USA
It would be fair to clarify the historical circumstances. The aggressive forces that initiated the horrible war had demonstrated clearly that this was a struggle to the death. Widespread devastation, death and human suffering were inevitable for a long time to come. Before Aug 1945, dad and his compatriots in China were advised by commanders to plan to spend the next 10 years in Asia fighting and preparing for invasion of Japan. How's that for a reality check at age 23? The rock vs hard place.
