PRAYER - STUDY - ACTION
Remembering Hiroshima & Nagasaki
Thursday, August 5, 2021
Greetings of peace!

August 6th and 9th mark the 76th anniversaries of the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Last year, Pax Christi International was to hold their international meeting in Hiroshima to mark the 75th anniversary, and for several years prior, I had the privilege of visiting Hiroshima and spending time with our colleagues in Japan in preparation for this event. Being in that city in the days surrounding the annual commemoration was a transformative experience for me. From listening to the stories of the hibakusha (survivors of the bombings) to visiting the Hiroshima Peace Museum and Peace Park (A-Bomb Dome photo to right) to taking part in memorials and processions on the anniversary day itself, the commitment of the citizens of Hiroshima to see a world that never again would witness such devastation drove home to me just how much more of a commitment to that same goal was needed here in the U.S.
“For her part, the Catholic Church is irrevocably committed to promoting peace
between peoples and nations. This is a duty to which the Church feels bound
before God and every man and woman in our world. We must never grow weary of
working to support the principal international legal instruments of nuclear disarmament
and non-proliferation, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”

~Pope Francis in Nagasaki, Japan, Nov. 24, 2019
I'm proud that Pax Christi USA has a long history of working for nuclear disarmament and abolition. It is in "our genes", having been a longstanding aspect of our work from our very beginnings almost 50 years ago. I hope you'll join me and others throughout the Pax Christi USA community in observing the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in prayer, study and action. We've pulled together a few resources below to respond to this urgent call and to see the promise of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons become reality.
In peace,

Johnny Zokovitch
Executive Director, Pax Christi USA
PRAYER
A PRAYER FOR A NUCLEAR WEAPONS-FREE WORLD
A New Moment for Nuclear Disarmament
We're inviting all members of the Pax Christi USA community to recite this prayer on August 6th and 9th. Join your prayer with thousands around the country those days in lifting up the intention for a world free of nuclear weapons.
____________

O God of life,

Hear our prayers and petitions for peace,
in these times of chaos and fear.

You, who have endowed us with the capacity
for love, compassion and generosity,
lead us toward global harmony and nonviolence,
away from the false security of war, violence
and nuclear weapons,
away from the holocaust of the human race and
massive global destruction.

Through your eternal grace
inspire our voices to call for the dismantling of
nuclear factories and bombs of death,
inspire our hearts with the desire and intention for 
global nuclear disarmament,
and transform our spirits into peacemakers of Christ,
for "Blessed are the peacemakers." Amen.
_____________________________________

> Use this prayer for disarmament prepared by Kim Vanderheiden of Pax Christi Northern California with your family, local group, over Zoom with friends, etc.
STUDY
STATEMENT IN COMMEMORATION OF THE
HIROSHIMA & NAGASAKI BOMBINGS
from Pax Christi International
On these solemn days of 6 and 9 August 2021, we commemorate the men, women and children of Japan who perished when the United States used atomic bombs against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the initial explosions and many more would later die or get sick from radiation. As a peace movement, we regard this first use of nuclear weapons as one of the most devastating events in history and a wake-up call for humanity.

This year, at last, nations around the world are taking concerted action to ban nuclear weapons. The tireless witness of survivors from 1945 has helped to inspire governments and civil society organizations to strive for the new UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which entered into force on 22 January of this year. It’s truly a milestone that nuclear weapons have finally been prohibited under international law and an important step in making sure that the atrocities which have happened in Japan will never happen again...
_____________________________________

> Find a sampling of our statements on nuclear disarmament on our statements page at this link.
> Watch the film "The Forgotten Bomb" by Pax Christi USA member Bud Ryan. Click here to read more about this film.
ACTIONS
JOIN A LOCAL ACTION TO COMMEMORATE THE HIROSHIMA, NAGASAKI ANNIVERSARIES
> Pax Christi USA and many of our local, state and regional groups are planning or joining actions to commemorate the Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversaries.

  • Click here to find out about the action in DC which we are sponsoring and a listing of some actions happening by local groups around the U.S. (If you want your action or event posted, please email me at jzokovitch@paxchristiusa.org and I will add it to the list.)
  • Find more actions that are taking place under the theme "In the presence of those who perished," Nuclear Ban Treaty Days of Action between August 6-9 by clicking here.

> As active members of the Back from the Brink campaign, Pax Christi USA is circulating this sign-on letter from local, county and state officials to President Biden to take bold action on nuclear weapons. If you are an elected official, you can sign on by clicking here. Alternately, if you have a relationship with your elected officials, ask them to sign on.
_____________________________________

Other actions to take:

> Click here to find a host of resources like how to make a peace lantern, fold cranes, a template for an op-ed, fact sheets on the TPNW and more from the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. 
If you can contribute and help support Pax Christi USA,
we'd be so grateful. Just click on the donation button
to the right to give securely & quickly online. Thanks!!