80 years later: Hiroshima and the atomic bomb

Increasingly hostile political and global tensions have put the world on edge, with many saying that we are closer to nuclear war than we have been since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Though no nuclear weapons were deployed, it often serves as the key moment in history when many thought the world might end. This very real and terrifying concern was birthed from the destructive power unleashed on August 6, 1945, when the world forever changed. At 8:16 A.M. over the city of Hiroshima in Imperial Japan, the B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy," a four-ton atomic bomb that devastated the city of Hiroshima, killing more than 140,000 people, and changed forever the landscape of war and global conflict.

I am writing this article alongside the Kyobashi River in the city of Hiroshima, Japan. I am here as part of a week-long pilgrimage accompanying four United States Catholic archbishops: Cardinal Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal McElroy of Washington D.C., Archbishop Etienne of Seattle, and Archbishop Wester of Santa Fe. I am joined by three of my fellow classmates of my university, as well as students and faculty from other Catholic universities, including: University of Notre Dame, Georgetown University, Catholic University of America, Sophia University, Loyola University - Chicago, and many more. We are on this pilgrimage together to attend lectures and symposia on gospel nonviolence and efforts to de-militarize nuclear technology internationally. These discussions are led by a variety of experts, such as Cardinal McElroy, Dr. Terrence Rynne (Founder, Marquette University Center for Peacemaking), Dr. Mary Gallagher (Dean, Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs), and even distinguished hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings). These panels and lectures covered a variety of topics, including nuclear ethics, nuclear global policy, theological and moral obligations, and the persistence of nonviolence.

While in Hiroshima, I have been reminded of the devastating toll that the nuclear bombing took on the city. On my first day here, we went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which today commemorates the victims and the destruction wrought by the atomic bomb. The exhibits included torched clothing from victims, distorted metal girders, scale models and simulations of the city before and after the bomb, and testimonials from victims and survivors alike. These testimonials include oral reports adorning the walls or paintings the hibakusha were asked to create to convey what they witnessed. One particular section, entitled, "Cries of the Soul," lists phrases uttered following the bombing.

"It hurts, hurts!"

"Hot! Water!"

"Help! Mother!"

"I am sorry I cannot save you."

"I don't want to die…"

These were some of the final words of the victims before they died of burns, bleeding, broken bones, or radiation sickness.

It is the official stance of the Roman Catholic Church that nuclear weapons are contrary to church teaching. The late Pope Francis strongly stood firm on the position that, "The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral." His successor, Pope Leo XIV, reaffirmed his position in an address delivered by his Nuncio to Japan, "I hasten to reiterate the words so often used by my beloved predecessor Pope Francis: 'Wars us always a defeat for humanity.' … It is thus my prayer that this solemn anniversary will serve as a call to the international community to renew its commitment to pursuing lasting peace for our whole human family."

Eighty years ago, the United States deployed the first every atomic weapon against Japan to bring a swift, albeit violent, end to the bloodiest war in human history. Historical research today suggests that Japan may have been ready to surrender prior to the end, but believed that the United States would not let them preserve the empire, and committed to carry on with the war. Some believe that there was no justification for the nuclear bombing of Japan while others say that Hiroshima was justice for the Attack on Pearl Harbor. What all agree on is that Hiroshima serves as the historical marker for what violent conflict escalates to: complete destruction of the mind, body, and soul. With such concern in the world today that nuclear conflict may be closer than ever, and knowing that it will certainly be more destructive and fatal than Hiroshima, it must be the commitment of all to ensure that diplomacy, consideration, and the intent to bring peace on Earth should be the world's top priority.