On Hiroshima anniversary, 80 religious groups demand nuclear disarmament

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, commonly known as the Atomic Bomb Dome. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC

On the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an interfaith statement was published, signed by the World Council of Churches and dozens of religious organizations and activists. It calls for the elimination of nuclear weapons as "the most catastrophically, indiscriminately and inter-generationally destructive weapons ever devised by human beings," reports the oikoumene website.

Churches, communities, and spiritual leaders of various denominations reminded of the massive tragedy that claimed, according to different estimates, from 150,000 to 250,000 lives, and urged the governments of the world to reconsider their priorities.

"This is not a symbol of progress, but a reminder of the absolute degradation of moral guidelines," the statement says on the anniversary of the first use of nuclear weapons.

Peter Prove, WCC Director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs emphasized the timeliness of the issue. “The risk of the nuclear war, whether by design or accident, is once again a major and growing existential threat, among the many crises confronting the world today.” He said that the WCC has been actively involved in civil society efforts that led to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, currently signed by 94 states. "Surely no church or Christian community, nor any right-thinking person, can tolerate the development, possession or use of the most catastrophically, indiscriminately and inter-generationally destructive weapons ever devised by human beings," Prove emphasized.

"The doctrine of nuclear deterrence is necessarily founded on the willingness to actually use such weapons, which must be rejected from a Christian ethical point of view," he concluded.

The full statement in English can be read via the link. As of August 8, it was signed by 80 religious groups. The collection of signatures is open until the end of August.

As reported by the UOJ, the World Council of Churches previously called the war in Ukraine "futile" and urged for peace.

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