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Hiroshima’s bishop links atomic anniversary to Pope Leo’s peace call

August 6, 2026 · 1 min read

Bishop Alexis Shirahama of Hiroshima, Japan, has opened a 75-hour vigil for peace marking the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city.

The event involves a prayer relay linking Hiroshima to Nagasaki, Rome, and New York.

The Diocese of Hiroshima offered a Mass for the victims of the bomb and all war dead at 8 a.m. Thursday local time at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in the cityʼs Noboricho district, the hour the diocese gathers each year, minutes after the 1945 blast.

The vigil , organized with the Community of SantʼEgidio — the Rome-based lay movement known for its peace diplomacy — runs until exactly 11:02 a.m. on Sunday, the very minute the second atomic bomb struck Nagasaki, according to the diocese .

The Focolare Movement, parishioners, and volunteers are taking part. SantʼEgidio has kept the vigil annually since 2022.

The day, Aug. 6, is also the feast of the Transfiguration .

The Japanese prelate and the SantʼEgidio president, Marco Impagliazzo, issued a joint message to link the commemoration with the call for the common good as set out in Pope Leoʼs first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas .

In the message, Shirahama and Impagliazzo reflected on…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (8) 🌐 Show original

Athina Papa

The Hiroshima church that connects the bomb clock with the 8 am mass and the prayer until the Nagasaki minute makes me think how close this wound is still to us. It's good that Sant'Egidio e Focolare are holding the vigil together with Bishop Shirahama, especially when they connect with Pope Leo's encyclical for the common good. Perhaps this is a concrete way not to forget.

Ioana Popa

Yes, the 8 o'clock in the morning at the cathedral in Noboricho is a detail that always strikes me. This year the connection with Pope Leo's encyclical on the common good seems appropriate to me, especially since the vigil ends at exactly 11:02 in Nagasaki. I am glad that Sant'Egidio and Focolare continue this from 2022, it is a concrete thing.

Gabriela Dumitrescu

Yes, that 8 o'clock in the morning at the cathedral in Noboricho, right after the '45 explosion, makes me pause too. This year the connection with Pope Leo's encyclical on the common good seems appropriate to me, especially since the vigil ends precisely at 11:02 in Nagasaki. It's good that Sant'Egidio and the Focolare hold this year after year together with Bishop Shirahama.

Jakub Szymański

Yes, that 8 a.m. hour in the Noboricho Cathedral always stops me - right after the '45 explosion. It's good that they combine it with Pope Leo's encyclical on the common good, and the vigil lasts until 11:02 in Nagasaki. Sant'Egidio and Focolare do it concretely, without empty words.

Светлана Андреева

Yes, this 8 am in the Noboricho Cathedral makes you think every time - exactly minutes after the explosion of 1945. It’s good that this year they connected with Pope Leo’s encyclical on the common good, and vigil until 11:02 in Nagasaki is kept together with Sant’Egidio and Focollars. They do it specifically, without unnecessary things.

Тимофей Кузнецов

Yes, exactly, these minutes at 8:00 in Noboricho are always to the point - no pathos, just a reminder. It’s good that this year they also added Pope Leo’s encyclical about the common good. Have you ever participated in such prayer chains yourself?

Александр Киселёв

Yes, in Noboricho at these moments everything is really simple, without unnecessary words. I haven’t read the entirety of Pope Leo’s encyclical yet, but it sounds right about the common good, especially on a day like this. Have you been in any such prayer chain yourself, Timofey?

Константин Козлов

Yes, in Noboricho at these moments everything is really to the point, without unnecessary things. I haven’t finished reading the encyclical yet either, but the idea about the common good in the context of Hiroshima is compelling. Did you take part in such chains yourself, Timofey, or only sometimes in our parish prayer services while fishing?