Lantern for Peace arrives at WCC

Lantern for Peace arrives at WCC

RMP

Wed, 09/23/2026 - 16:37

A Lantern for Peace—which remembers the victims of atomic bombings—has arrived at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The lantern is among 22 sent by the city of Hiroshima to International Geneva, the City of Peace, and the headquarters of the United Nations. The lanterns, accompanied by messages prepared by young citizens of Hiroshima, were distributed among organizations in Geneva, including the WCC.

Image

n Geneva, an interfaith Lanterns for Peace ceremony was held 6 August at Chapelle Notre-Dame, organized by Pax Christi in Switzerland and the Interreligious Platform in Geneva. The Lanterns for Peace campaign was developed by Pax Christi International and the Hiroshima Coventry Club (Touro Project), inspired by the lantern ceremonies held each year in Hiroshima.

Photo: Rhoda Mphande/WCC

Each year, Lanterns for Peace are floated on the river in Hiroshima as individual beacons of compassion and hope. The city then sends thousands of lanterns across the world.

The WCC received the lantern as not only a commemoration but a moment of…