As “a pilgrim of peace,” Pope John Paul II visited Hiroshima on February 25, the most important destination on his trip to Japan. At a welcome gathering held for him in Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, the site of mankind’s first atomic bombing, John Paul read in a strong voice an appeal for peace in which he urged the abolition of nuclear weapons and called for everlasting peace, “the only path that befits human dignity.” The pope began his Appeal for Peace in Japanese and then read portions in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Chinese, German and Russian before closing his message using Japanese again. The crowd of 25,000, (police estimate), which included local citizens, A-bomb survivors and Catholics, filled the park. They were stirred and emboldened by the pope’s message. Afterwards about 200 representatives of foreign news media transmitted the pope’s message back to their homelands around the world.
In the afternoon the pope gave a commemorative address on “Technology, Society and Peace” in the municipal auditorium. The event was sponsored by the City of Hiroshima and the United Nations University. In his remarks the pope referred to these times in which there is a continual threat of nuclear war as the “post-Hiroshima era” and warned that, depending on the course of science and technology, humanity may be destroyed. The pope also urged scientists and researchers to listen to their consciences. The pope displayed his characteristic high energy during a tour of the Peace Memorial Museum that preceded this event and at a later event at which he blessed Catholics. After a mere six hours in Hiroshima, the pope reluctantly departed from Hiroshima Airport for a mass in Nagasaki that evening.
The pope arrived in Hiroshima just after 10:10 a.m. in a special aircraft operated by All Nippon Airways. Amid a light snowfall he headed directly to Peace Memorial Park and laid a bouquet of white chrysanthemums and orchids at the memorial cenotaph where the souls of 200,000 atomic bomb victims rest. He kneeled before the cenotaph in prayer for approximately one minute. After hearing a description of the horror of the bombing from Mayor Takeshi Araki, who served as his guide, with a sad expression the pope asked several questions, pointing to the A-bomb Dome and glancing at the Flame of Peace. Whether with anger or sadness, his eyes sometimes filled with tears.
At a city-sponsored welcome gathering, the pope began to read his appeal for peace, starting in Japanese, at 10:54 a.m. in a low voice that carried well. The pope’s Japanese, which showed the results of special training he had undergone, was dynamic. He sometimes exclaimed loudly while at other times he spoke as if telling a story. At the end the pope spoke in Japanese again praying, “O God, hear my voice and grant unto the world your everlasting peace.”
At noon the pope visited the Peace Memorial Museum where he wore a pained expression as he looked at the 650 items on display that graphically portray the tragedy of the bombing, including photos of victims whose entire bodies were burned and who were covered with keloid scars. After spending about 20 minutes in the museum, in response to a request by Akihiro Takahashi, its director, he signed the museum’s guest book, still wearing a serious expression.
The pope also gave a commemorative address to an audience of 1,700 scholars, cultural figures, A-bomb survivors, and local citizens, who were deeply moved. With his visit to the park prior to this, and a visit to the World Peace Memorial Cathedral to bless believers afterwards, the pope was very busy throughout his stay. The pope’s visit to Hiroshima lasted only half a day, but as an apostle of peace he made a deep impression.
Pope John Paul II arrived at Nagasaki Airport from Hiroshima just after 5 p.m. on February 25 aboard a special All Nippon Airways aircraft. With a tour of sites related to the city’s Christian martyrs, who symbolize its long history of persecution, the pope’s visit to Nagasaki, the last stop on his tour of Japan, is likely to take on a religious tone. It will also be significant because of his role as a messenger of peace to the aging A-bomb survivors there.
After being greeted at Nagasaki Airport, the pope was taken via a special car to the Nagasaki Catholic Center at Urakami Cathedral, near the site of the atomic bombing, where he had a break and enjoyed dinner before observing mass. The purpose of the mass was to bless seminary students who are becoming priests. As the angelus bells tolled, the pope said the mass and shared in the joy of the ordination of the new priests.