Memorial mass for Pope Francis held in Hiroshima: “Follow his wishes of nuclear abolition”
Apr. 26, 2025
by Yoshiaki Kido, Staff Writer
A memorial mass for Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88, was held on April 25 at the Catholic Noboricho Church’s Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. The mass was organized by the Hiroshima Diocese and attended by about 300 believers from inside and outside the prefecture.
In his speech, Bishop Mitsuru Shirahama, 62, referred to the Pope’s visit to the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during his visit to Japan in November 2019. About the Pope’s message calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons, Bishop Shirahama said, “We will follow the Pope's wishes and continue our efforts for world peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons.”
All attendees sang hymns and offered incense before a portrait of the Pope displayed on the altar. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, 79, of Asaminami Ward, was 2 months old when he was exposed to the atomic bomb in what is now Mitaki-machi in Nishi Ward. He said, “We are grateful his heart was always with us atomic bomb survivors. The pope had a viewpoint similar to that of ordinary people.”
Pope Francis was the first Pope to visit Japan in the 38 years since John Paul II’s visit. In Hiroshima, Pope Francis delivered a strong message that the use and possession of nuclear weapons are against ethics. In response to the pope’s message, the Hiroshima Diocese and peace organizations established a fund for a world without nuclear weapons in 2020.
The diocese is accepting messages of condolence at the Hiroshima Catholic Hall in the Noboricho Church until April 27.
(Originally published on April 26, 2025)
A memorial mass for Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88, was held on April 25 at the Catholic Noboricho Church’s Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. The mass was organized by the Hiroshima Diocese and attended by about 300 believers from inside and outside the prefecture.
In his speech, Bishop Mitsuru Shirahama, 62, referred to the Pope’s visit to the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during his visit to Japan in November 2019. About the Pope’s message calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons, Bishop Shirahama said, “We will follow the Pope's wishes and continue our efforts for world peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons.”
All attendees sang hymns and offered incense before a portrait of the Pope displayed on the altar. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, 79, of Asaminami Ward, was 2 months old when he was exposed to the atomic bomb in what is now Mitaki-machi in Nishi Ward. He said, “We are grateful his heart was always with us atomic bomb survivors. The pope had a viewpoint similar to that of ordinary people.”
Pope Francis was the first Pope to visit Japan in the 38 years since John Paul II’s visit. In Hiroshima, Pope Francis delivered a strong message that the use and possession of nuclear weapons are against ethics. In response to the pope’s message, the Hiroshima Diocese and peace organizations established a fund for a world without nuclear weapons in 2020.
The diocese is accepting messages of condolence at the Hiroshima Catholic Hall in the Noboricho Church until April 27.
(Originally published on April 26, 2025)
