Pontifical Council sends message for 71st anniversary
of Hiroshima bombing
(Vatican Radio) The
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has issued a message for the 71st
anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan at the
end of World War II, on August 6th and 9th respectively.
The message was delivered by
Fr. Michael Czerny, SJ - a member of the Council - on August 6 at a two-day
conference on disarmament and security sponsored by Religions for Peace at the
United Nations University in Tokyo. The inter-religious meeting hosted by the
Tendai Buddhist Community, and the Diocese of Hiroshima's programme including a
concelebrated Mass at the Cathedral on August 6th.
Seventy-one years have passed
since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, acts of aggression which
sought to put an end to World War II.
Yet, in a world still
permeated by the proliferation of nuclear arms, “God’s great river of mercy”
still flows. That was the message of the Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace for the 71st anniversary, delivered by Fr. Michael Czerny in Tokyo.
Speaking on behalf of the
Pontifical Council’s president, Cardinal Peter Turkson, Fr. Czerny linked the
commemoration to the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy and to the
Transfiguration of Christ.
He said the two events give
us ‘the opportunity to revisit the sinful and sorrowful moments of our lives,
not in order to be crushed and to despair, but in order to allow God’s loving
grace to enter with forgiveness and healing’.
For ‘from the heart of the
Trinity’, he continued, ‘from the depths of the mystery of God, the great river
of mercy wells up and overflows unceasingly. The Church is called above
all to be a credible witness to mercy, professing it and living it as the core
of the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Misericordiae Vultus, § 25). Especially
today, we pray that God may flood all our sins, recriminations and
discouragement with His “great river of mercy”.’
The full text of the
message – entitled ‘God’s great river of mercy’ – is below:
On behalf of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, of Cardinal Peter Turkson its president, and of
all its members, consultors and staff: peace to you from God our Father!
It is always an important
grace to commemorate the tragic anniversary of the atom-bombings of Hiroshima
and of Nagasaki. For me it is a special honour to do so in person; and to
extend to everyone here present, to the Church in Japan and to the entire Japanese
nation, the most sincere prayer of solidarity and hope.
For over a thousand years,
many Christian denominations have celebrated the solemn feast of the
Transfiguration. The Transfiguration reveals the glory of Christ and demands a
response of listening to Jesus Christ and of following him. His glory is
revealed because, as Pope Francis preached on 1 March 2015, his “full adherence
to the will of the Father makes his humanity transparent to the glory of God,
who is Love” and mercy.
On 6 August we also remember
the passing from this life of Pope Paul VI, 38 years ago, who most famously
declared at the United Nations on 4 November 1965, “Never again one against the
other, never, never again! ... Never again war, never again war!” With the
challenging encouragement of Blessed Pope Paul, let us pray and act in
solidarity with the victims of the atom bombs and of all wars and all terrorism
around the world.
With all the significance of
6th August, then, what makes 2016, the 71st anniversary, a unique and special
occasion for our prayerful commemoration?
By Divine Providence, it
takes place during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy established by Pope
Francis. This Jubilee gives each and every one of us the opportunity to revisit
the sinful and sorrowful moments of our lives, not in order to be crushed and
to despair, but in order to allow God’s loving grace to enter with forgiveness
and healing.
Our Heavenly Father “never
tires of casting open the doors of his heart and of repeating that he loves us
and wants to share his love with us ... From the heart of the Trinity, from the
depths of the mystery of God, the great river of mercy wells up and overflows
unceasingly ... The Church is called above all to be a credible witness to
mercy, professing it and living it as the core of the revelation of Jesus
Christ” (Misericordiae Vultus, § 25). Especially today, we pray that God may
flood all our sins, recriminations and discouragement with His “great river of
mercy”.
As we commemorate the atomic
bombings of 71 years ago, may the Year of Mercy and the feast of the
Transfiguration inspire, teach and guide us. May they open us to the mercy with
which our Heavenly Father so ardently wishes to flood our hearts. May the
graces of pardon, reconciliation, solidarity and hope touch each person, each
faith community and social group we encounter.
Together we pray to our
all-merciful Father in the name of Jesus Christ and with the intercession of
our Blessed Mary, Mother of Mercy, and of Blessed Paul VI, Amen!
Michael Czerny S.J.
Office of the President
Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace
Hiroshima, 6 August 2016
(Devin Sean Watkins)
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