Marking two years since invasion of Ukraine, multi-sectarian memorial gathering calls for immediate ceasefire in front of A-bomb Dome
Feb. 25, 2024
by Jun Takagi, Staff Writer
On February 24, the date marking the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Buddhist and Christian religious leaders, together with members of the public, held a gathering of prayer and mourning in front of the A-bomb Dome, located in Hiroshima’s centrally located Naka Ward, and called for an immediate ceasefire in that conflict. Around 30 people participated in the gathering, including three Ukrainian refugees living in Hiroshima Prefecture and their supporters.
A moment of silence was first observed by the participants. After that, Shokyo Otake, 66, organizer of the event and head priest at Saizenji, a temple located in Hiroshima Prefecture’s Miyoshi City that belongs to the Honganji-sect of the Jodo Shinshu School of Buddhism, made an appeal. “In this place, on which an atomic bomb was dropped, we hold firm to the belief that peoples’ lives must never be taken unjustly.” Yutaka Inoue, 67, pastor at the Hiroshimanagatsuka Christ Church of the Japan Church of Christ, located in Hiroshima’s Asaminami Ward, said, “Let’s begin with a prayer. A path leading to the resolution of intractable problems can always be found.”
In addition to the participants, some people from overseas who had joined in the gathering laid down flowers of blue and yellow, the colors of the national flag of Ukraine, in front of the A-bomb Dome in an expression of their hope for a ceasefire in the conflict. At the same time they held aloft a banner calling for peace.
(Originally published on February 25, 2024)
On February 24, the date marking the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Buddhist and Christian religious leaders, together with members of the public, held a gathering of prayer and mourning in front of the A-bomb Dome, located in Hiroshima’s centrally located Naka Ward, and called for an immediate ceasefire in that conflict. Around 30 people participated in the gathering, including three Ukrainian refugees living in Hiroshima Prefecture and their supporters.
A moment of silence was first observed by the participants. After that, Shokyo Otake, 66, organizer of the event and head priest at Saizenji, a temple located in Hiroshima Prefecture’s Miyoshi City that belongs to the Honganji-sect of the Jodo Shinshu School of Buddhism, made an appeal. “In this place, on which an atomic bomb was dropped, we hold firm to the belief that peoples’ lives must never be taken unjustly.” Yutaka Inoue, 67, pastor at the Hiroshimanagatsuka Christ Church of the Japan Church of Christ, located in Hiroshima’s Asaminami Ward, said, “Let’s begin with a prayer. A path leading to the resolution of intractable problems can always be found.”
In addition to the participants, some people from overseas who had joined in the gathering laid down flowers of blue and yellow, the colors of the national flag of Ukraine, in front of the A-bomb Dome in an expression of their hope for a ceasefire in the conflict. At the same time they held aloft a banner calling for peace.
(Originally published on February 25, 2024)
