The leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics -- and a passionate voice for nuclear disarmament -- has wrapped up his first full day of a four-day visit to Japan.
Pope Francis is the first sitting pontiff to visit the country in nearly 40 years.
But his message of peace is a timeless one -- and resonated particularly in the two cities that suffered atomic bombings.
The plane carrying Pope Francis touched down in Nagasaki on Sunday morning.
The heavy rain didn't stop the pope from opening the window of his car and waving to crowds along the way.
It also didn't dampen people's spirits or keep them away from Ground Zero -- where American forces dropped the bomb 74 years ago.
More than 70,000 people had died by the end of that year.
It was here that the pope delivered his message of peace to survivors of the atomic bombing, and other guests.
"Here in this city, which witnessed the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences of a nuclear attack, our attempts to speak out against the arms race will never be enough," he said.
The pontiff also spoke about his commitment to supporting the international arms control framework, including a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons.
That treaty has yet to be signed by many countries, such as Japan, which rely on the US nuclear umbrella.
He called on world leaders to commit to the cause.
"May prayer, tireless work in support of agreements and insistence on dialogue be the most powerful "weapons" in which we put our trust and the inspiration of our efforts to build a world of justice and solidarity that can offer an authentic assurance of peace."
Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the 1945 attack, bowing deeply at the cenotaph and offered a moment of silence.
NHK reports that some survivors of the bombing watched the pope's speech on TV from a nursing home.
Kimi Taira said, "I want to abolish nuclear weapons for world peace."
Nobuko Uno said, "I really don't want another war. I want the world to become peaceful."
In the afternoon, a crowd of about 30,000 people gathered at a baseball stadium in the city for holy mass.
Pope Francis, who is known as the "people's pope" for his friendly personality, reached out to people young and old.
A grandson of an atomic bomb survivor said, "I hope when this boy grows up, the world will be more peaceful than it is now."
The pope then moved on to Hiroshima, which was destroyed by the atomic bomb just three days before Nagasaki was hit.
He met survivors at a gathering for peace held near ground zero. He blessed them and listened to their words.
One of the survivors shared her experience of the bombing and called for a total ban of nuclear weapons.
Yoshiko Kajimoto said, "You cannot let anyone in the world experience such pain, especially not children."
Pope Francis reiterated that the use of atomic energy for purposes of war is a crime against any possible future.
"We cannot allow present and future generations to lose the memory of what happened here. It is a memory that ensures and encourages the building of a more fair and fraternal future."
He concluded his speech with a strong message appealing for peace.
"From our heart let us together cry out: Never again war, never again the clash of arms, never again so much suffering! May peace come in our time and to our world."
On Monday (Nov 25,2019) in Tokyo, the pope will meet people from northeast Japan who were affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. He will also sit down with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Source: NHK
