09-05-2025
Nagasaki A-bomb survivor wants Pope Leo XIV to call for nuclear abolition
A senior official of a group representing atomic bomb survivors in Japan says she would like the new pope to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost from the United States was elected the new head of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday. He chose the papal name Leo XIV.
A senior Nihon Hidankyo official, Yokoyama Teruko, who experienced the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, has met two popes in the past.
Yokoyama said the new pope is from a major nuclear power, and could provide an opportunity for the people of the US and other nuclear countries to reconsider the issue of nuclear arms.
Yokoyama said former popes have said nuclear weapons are evil. She said the number of survivors is decreasing, and she does not want people to forget about the bombings.
Yokoyama also said she wants the new pope to visit the atomic bomb museums in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and listen to the stories of the survivors. She said many Catholics suffered in Nagasaki, so she hopes the pope could send a message on nuclear abolition from the city.
