People visit the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, Japan on August 4, 2025. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On August 4, a display of the Pope Francis’s message and candleholder given to Hiroshima City is seen at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
The "Flame of Peace" is seen at Hiroshima Peace Park on Aug. 4, 2025. This flame has been burning since it was lit on Aug. 1, 1964, and is a symbol of the wish for the flame to "keep burning until the day nuclear weapons disappear from the Earth." (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On Aug. 5, 2025, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago shakes hands with Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui after a meeting with representatives from four archdioceses and Catholic universities in the United States. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
During an August 5 meeting with the mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, the U.S. archbishops and university representatives listen to the mayor's presentation on Hiroshima's initiatives "Promoting a culture of Peace". (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington and Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, look at a display of photos and messages from Pope Francis' visit to Hiroshima in 2019. ( Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
A Japanese choir performs at a peace event hosted on Aug. 5, 2025 by the Diocese of Hiroshima that was part of a Pilgrimage of Peace to Japan by U.S. archbishops and by students and leaders from U.S. Catholic universities coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
At right, Hiroshi Kanamoto – who was nine months old when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 – receives flowers at a peace event hosted on Aug. 5, 2025 by the Diocese of Hiroshima that was part of a Pilgrimage of Peace to Japan by U.S. archbishops and by students and leaders from U.S. Catholic universities coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Kanamoto is a member of Nihon Hidankyo, the group of Japanese atomic bomb survivors that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
The U.S. archbishops participating in a Pilgrimage of Peace to Japan coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki included (at center from left to right) Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington; Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago; and Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle. They were among pilgrimage participants at a peace event on Aug. 5, 2025 hosted by the Diocese of Hiroshima where atomic bombing survivors were honored. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, at left, speaks at a dialogue on Aug. 5, 2025 hosted by the Diocese of Hiroshima during a Pilgrimage of Peace to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by four U.S. archbishops and by leaders and students from U.S. Catholic universities that coincided with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of those two cities in Japan. From left to right are Cardinal McElroy; Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Bishop John Baptist Jung Shin-chul of the Diocese of Incheon in South Korea; and Bishop Edgar Gacutan of the Diocese of Sendai in Japan. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
A joint statement, "Toward Solidarity to Protect All Life" is presented in three languages, English, Korean and Japanese by Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle; Bishop Simon Kim Ju-young of Chuncheon, South Korea; and Archbishop Peter Michiaki Nakamura of Nagasaki, Japan, at a peace event on Aug. 5, 2025 hosted by the Diocese of Hiroshima where atomic bombing survivors were honored. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington and Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago process to the altar at the beginning of a Peace Memorial Mass at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 5, 2025. They were part of a Pilgrimage of Peace to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of those cities. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Japanese students welcome U.S. archbishops to Hiroshima during a Peace Memorial Mass on Aug. 5, 2025 at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
The U.S. archbishops concelebrating a Peace Memorial Mass on Aug. 5, 2025 at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima included Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne (third from right), Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico (second from right), and Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy (at right). (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy is welcomed at a Peace Memorial Mass on Aug. 5, 2025 at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima, Japan. The Mass was held on the day before the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Students participating in a Pilgrimage of Peace coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, attend a Peace Memorial Mass on Aug. 5, 2025 at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne is welcomed at a Peace Memorial Mass on Aug. 5, 2025 at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima, Japan. The Mass was held on the day before the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is welcomed at a Peace Memorial Mass on Aug. 5, 2025 at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima, Japan. The Mass was held on the day before the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Archbishop Francisco Escalante Molina, the Vatican’s apostolic nuncio to Japan, speaks at a Peace Memorial Mass on Aug. 5, 2025 at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima, Japan. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
During the Peace Memorial Mass on Aug. 5, 2025 at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima, Japan, Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo elevates the chalice. The concelebrants at the Mass included Archbishop Peter Michiaki Nakamura of Nagasaki (at left) and Cardinal Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda of Osaka-Takamatsu, Japan (right). (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On August 6, 2025 at 8:15 a.m., the moment the United States dropped the first atomic bomb in human history on Hiroshima, Japan, 80 years earlier on Aug. 6, 1945, people observe a moment of silence for the victims of the atomic bombings while sirens sound and church bells ring for one minute during the annual Peace Memorial Mass at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
The Atomic Bomb Dome is seen from Motoyasu Bridge in Hiroshima on the morning of Aug. 6, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of that city. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On August 6, 2025 at 8:15 a.m., the moment the United States dropped the first atomic bomb in human history on Hiroshima, Japan, 80 years earlier on Aug. 6, 1945, people observe a moment of silence for the victims of the atomic bombings while sirens sound and church bells ring for one minute during the annual Peace Memorial Mass at the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago gives the homily at a Mass on Aug. 6, 2025 at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima, Japan, for the Victims of the Atomic Bombing. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
People pray during a Mass on Aug. 6, 2025 at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima, Japan, for the Victims of the Atomic Bombing. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Hiroshima Bishop Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama receives offertory gifts from students at a Mass on Aug. 6, 2025 at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima, Japan, for the Victims of the Atomic Bombing. The Mass was part of a Pilgrimage of Peace of four U.S. archbishops and of U.S. Catholic university leaders and students to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to pray and dialogue for peace on the 80th anniversary of when the atomic bombs were dropped on those cities on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Hiroshima Bishop Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama presides at a Mass on Aug. 6, 2025 at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima, Japan, for the Victims of the Atomic Bombing. Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington stands behind him. The Mass was part of a Pilgrimage of Peace of four U.S. archbishops and of U.S. Catholic university leaders and students to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to pray and dialogue for peace on the 80th anniversary of when the atomic bombs were dropped on those cities on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
The Assumption of Mary Cathedral in Hiroshima, Japan, also known as the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace, is seen on the morning of Aug. 6, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of that city. That morning, a Mass for the Victims of the Atomic Bombing was held in the cathedral, which was built in tribute to the victims of war and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral during his pastoral visit to Japan in February 1981. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington speaks at an Aug. 6, 2025 academic symposium at Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima, Japan. Washington’s archbishop was part of a Pilgrimage of Peace that included four U.S. archbishops and Catholic university officials and students from the United States who traveled to Japan to promote peace and nuclear disarmament on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
Participants of the Pilgrimage of Peace coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombs that were dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, attend an academic symposium on Aug. 6, 2025 at Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On the evening of Aug. 6, 2025, people line up in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims at Hiroshima Peace Park to offer prayers. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
People release paper lanterns on the Motoyasu River facing the gutted Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the United States dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On the evening of Aug. 6, 2025, people line up in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims at Hiroshima Peace Park to offer prayers. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On the morning of Aug. 7, 2025, participants in the Pilgrimage of Peace to Japan walk to the former Jesuit novitiate in Nagatsuka, a suburb of Hiroshima where Father Pedro Arrupe and other Jesuits and women religious ran a rescue operation following the atomic bombing of that city 80 years earlier, on Aug. 6, 1945. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On Aug. 7, 2025, Jesuit Father Tsutomu Sakuma, the provincial of the Jesuits' Japan Province, celebrates Mass in the chapel of the former Jesuit novitiate in Nagatsuka, a suburb of Hiroshima, with other priests, including (from left) Jesuit Father Mark Bosco, the vice president for Mission and Ministry at Georgetown University; Jesuit Father Sali Augustine, the chancellor of the Sophia School Corporation of Sophia University in Tokyo; and Holy Cross Father Robert Dowd, the president of the University of Notre Dame. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
A photo of Jesuit Father Pedro Arrupe is displayed at the former Jesuit novitiate in Nagatsuka, a suburb of Hiroshima. Father Arrupe and other Jesuits and women religious ran a rescue operation, providing care to survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Father Arrupe, a Spanish priest, served as the superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983. (Catholic Standard Photo by Mihoko Owada)
Participants in the Pilgrimage of Peace to Japan attend a Mass on Aug. 7, 2025 in the chapel of the former Jesuit novitiate in Nagatsuka, a suburb of Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On Aug. 7, 2025, Jesuit Father Tsutomu Sakuma, the provincial of the Jesuits' Japan Province, gives the homily during a Mass in the chapel of the former Jesuit novitiate in Nagatsuka, a suburb of Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
On Aug. 7, 2025, Jesuit Father Tsutomu Sakuma, the provincial of the Jesuits' Japan Province, gives Communion to participants of the Pilgrimage of Peace to Japan attending a Mass in the chapel of the former Jesuit novitiate in Nagatsuka, a suburb of Hiroshima. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
A scroll in the chapel of the former Jesuit novitiate in Nagatsuka, a suburb of Hiroshima, Japan, displays the Japanese translation of Jesus's words from the Gospel of John, “Follow me.” (Catholic Standard photo: Mihoko Owada)
Participants of the Pilgrimage to Peace in Japan coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki pose together for a photo after a Mass on Aug. 7, 2025, at the chapel of the former Jesuit novitiate in Nagatsuka, a suburb of Hiroshima. The pilgrimage included students and staff members of Catholic universities in the United States and Japan who came together to pray and dialogue for peace and for an end to nuclear weapons. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
The Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims is seen at Hiroshima Peace Park on Aug. 5, 2025. The following words are inscribed on the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims: “Let all the souls here rest in peace; for we shall not repeat the evil.” (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
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