Hiroshima Christ Church Convention releases statement calling for immediate halt to Gaza attacks, conveying wish for peace from A-bombed city
Mar. 25, 2024
by Yu Yamada, Staff Writer
The conflict since October of last year in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people, including many civilians. Amid daily reports of heart-rending news, the Hiroshima Christ Church Convention, a federation of 47 Protestant churches located in Hiroshima City, issued a statement calling for an immediate halt to Israel’s attack on Gaza. Resolved to communicate their wishes for peace from the A-bombed Hiroshima, some adherents make daily appeals on the streets of Hiroshima for peace in that region.
Asserting the attack on Gaza continues to massacre civilians including young children, the statement emphasizes that the Christ Churches in Hiroshima, the city that was burned to the ground in the atomic bombing, are unable to tolerate the current situation. The document calls for cessation of the killing and attainment of peace.
In response to last year’s October 7 cross-border attack orchestrated by the Islamic Hamas, which effectively controls Gaza, the Israeli military stepped up air strikes and launched a ground invasion. Since mid-October, a civic organization called the Hiroshima-Palestine Vigil Community has made demands for an immediate ceasefire every evening in front of the A-bomb Dome in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. One of the group’s members, Masae Yuasa, 61, a professor at Hiroshima City University, is a practicing Protestant.
Since her first visit to Palestine 20 years ago, Ms. Yuasa has made frequent trips to the area. She has interacted with local Christians and come into contact with those who live by their faith despite the unreasonable situation in which they find themselves. She said, “The Bible is a book for the persecuted. That idea has been etched into my heart.” Those experiences are the driving force behind her engagement in activities for the support of Palestine.
“To achieve ceasefire in Gaza, there are things that citizens and governments can do from their own positions. For our part, we will continue to raise our voices about this issue,” said Ms. Yuasa emphatically.
The Chugoku Shimbun spoke in an interview with Yasuhiro Tateno, 63, a pastor at the Hiroshima Evangelical Lutheran Church, located in the city’s Naka Ward, who serves as chair of the Hiroshima Christ Church Convention. We asked Mr. Tateno, whose responses are indicated below, about the lead-up to and the thinking behind the group’s release of its statement.
Raising a voice of protest from Hiroshima is of great significance. For children in Palestine, Hiroshima’s recovery from the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of the city represents “hope.” Instead of turning into a military city designed for retaliation, Hiroshima has come this far as a city of peace. Palestinian children hope their nation can follow the same path.
The whereabouts of the children who shared such wishes with me during my seven visits to Palestine are currently unknown. I sometimes feel as if my heart is going to burst as I desperately hope for their safety. Thinking about how the convention in Hiroshima had the obligation to release a statement, we made the announcement at the end of January this year after consensus was gained from the convention’s directors.
Palestinians have long been oppressed by Israel’s occupation. The suffering and anger of the people of Gaza, who have been trapped behind barriers, is unimaginable. The Hamas attack, which triggered the invasion by the Israeli military, is certainly unforgivable, but I had worried for a long time that something of this nature might happen.
Israel’s attacks, excessive and wrong, continue to take the lives of civilians. One of the Ten Commandments, widely known precepts laid out in the Old Testament, writes, “Thou shalt not kill.” Even if you insist on justice for yourself, killing others is a violation of God’s will.
I would like many people to turn their hearts to the current reality in Palestine. Please consider the children who described to me that Hiroshima represented hope for them. My wish is that, by incorporating our message of peace into the statement, we will be able to unite with as many people as possible.
(Originally published on March 25, 2024)
The conflict since October of last year in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people, including many civilians. Amid daily reports of heart-rending news, the Hiroshima Christ Church Convention, a federation of 47 Protestant churches located in Hiroshima City, issued a statement calling for an immediate halt to Israel’s attack on Gaza. Resolved to communicate their wishes for peace from the A-bombed Hiroshima, some adherents make daily appeals on the streets of Hiroshima for peace in that region.
Asserting the attack on Gaza continues to massacre civilians including young children, the statement emphasizes that the Christ Churches in Hiroshima, the city that was burned to the ground in the atomic bombing, are unable to tolerate the current situation. The document calls for cessation of the killing and attainment of peace.
In response to last year’s October 7 cross-border attack orchestrated by the Islamic Hamas, which effectively controls Gaza, the Israeli military stepped up air strikes and launched a ground invasion. Since mid-October, a civic organization called the Hiroshima-Palestine Vigil Community has made demands for an immediate ceasefire every evening in front of the A-bomb Dome in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. One of the group’s members, Masae Yuasa, 61, a professor at Hiroshima City University, is a practicing Protestant.
Since her first visit to Palestine 20 years ago, Ms. Yuasa has made frequent trips to the area. She has interacted with local Christians and come into contact with those who live by their faith despite the unreasonable situation in which they find themselves. She said, “The Bible is a book for the persecuted. That idea has been etched into my heart.” Those experiences are the driving force behind her engagement in activities for the support of Palestine.
“To achieve ceasefire in Gaza, there are things that citizens and governments can do from their own positions. For our part, we will continue to raise our voices about this issue,” said Ms. Yuasa emphatically.
Desperate wishes for safety of Palestinian children who spoke of how “Hiroshima represents hope”
Interview with Pastor Yasuhiro Tateno, convention chair
Massacre is violation of God’s will
The Chugoku Shimbun spoke in an interview with Yasuhiro Tateno, 63, a pastor at the Hiroshima Evangelical Lutheran Church, located in the city’s Naka Ward, who serves as chair of the Hiroshima Christ Church Convention. We asked Mr. Tateno, whose responses are indicated below, about the lead-up to and the thinking behind the group’s release of its statement.
Raising a voice of protest from Hiroshima is of great significance. For children in Palestine, Hiroshima’s recovery from the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of the city represents “hope.” Instead of turning into a military city designed for retaliation, Hiroshima has come this far as a city of peace. Palestinian children hope their nation can follow the same path.
The whereabouts of the children who shared such wishes with me during my seven visits to Palestine are currently unknown. I sometimes feel as if my heart is going to burst as I desperately hope for their safety. Thinking about how the convention in Hiroshima had the obligation to release a statement, we made the announcement at the end of January this year after consensus was gained from the convention’s directors.
Palestinians have long been oppressed by Israel’s occupation. The suffering and anger of the people of Gaza, who have been trapped behind barriers, is unimaginable. The Hamas attack, which triggered the invasion by the Israeli military, is certainly unforgivable, but I had worried for a long time that something of this nature might happen.
Israel’s attacks, excessive and wrong, continue to take the lives of civilians. One of the Ten Commandments, widely known precepts laid out in the Old Testament, writes, “Thou shalt not kill.” Even if you insist on justice for yourself, killing others is a violation of God’s will.
I would like many people to turn their hearts to the current reality in Palestine. Please consider the children who described to me that Hiroshima represented hope for them. My wish is that, by incorporating our message of peace into the statement, we will be able to unite with as many people as possible.
(Originally published on March 25, 2024)
