The archbishop who opposes nuclear weapons

Thank you John for sharing these words of hope for us.

The U.S. will never get rid of nukes unless there is public outcry and action! The nuclear bombplex is asking Congress for $180 billion more over the coming years to make new bomb factories and new bombs! Call your Senators and tell them to ratify the new START treaty without nuclear pork! We can have nuclear disarmament in our lifetime if we demand it! Come join in three demonstrations at the main U.S. nuclear bomb factories this summer: June 16-19 in Kansas City, Missouri, July 3-5 in Oakridge, Tennessee, and July 30-Aug. 6 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. See kcnukeswatch.wordpress.com for more info.

The comment from the "unnamed" archbishop about nuclear bombs - “we need them to protect ourselves against rogue nations” show that this bishop does not know his scripture and does not know God as his "full" savior. Why? Jesus said that He was the "Gate" to all salvation. Not a bomb or warfare to be protection. This Bishop has a world view of protection. In Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in name of the Lord our GOD!!! You see some "holy" people don't understand that God is the only place to put your trust. No atom bomb will fall unless God allows it to be dropped. If you don't have faith is Jesus, the bombs, warefare and other human solutions become vialbe. This Bishop needs to grow in faith to completely trust Jesus for his safty on earth as in heaven. Archbishop Takami understands the basis of faith is in God. Atomic bombs just kill God created life and should never be used or relied upon for safty. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul - the only way to go - here or earth or in the life to come.

When Father Pedro Arrupe, S. J. visited the Jesuit St. Mary's Mission in Alaska in the mid 60's, we volunteers asked about his involvement in anti-nuclear efforts after he told us his story from Hiroshima. His answer was something to the effect that if the actual event didn't deter any further nuclear warfare, nothing would. Forward to the 1980's and at my parish church in Kenmore, New York, a sermon was given reflecting on questioning the Japanese people (in Japan where the priest had been for a visit) how they were so unrevengeful –like about the bomb. After Mass I suggested to the priest the wrong people were asked the wrong question. The question should have been to us citizens of the US filling the pews of this parish church about how we can go about our daily business without reflection on dropping them. I have to say in 1945 following VJ Day all I knew was my dad, who I did not remember, was now coming home from the Pacific and I was happy. At the time as I understand it many lives on both sides that would have died if the war had not ended when it did. My conclusions? Archbishop Joseph Takami of Nagasaki talks with authority and God’s children can sure be a handful.

All you hydra headed anonymous who dare question the prophetic pro-life proclamations of the Reverend Father John Dear SJ, read these words:

"Hearing his story led me to ponder how he almost died, and how many unborn children were certainly “aborted” by the atomic blast; should that make anti-abortion, pro-life Catholics against the atomic bomb -- because it causes abortion?"

To oppose our nuclear holocaust is to be staunchly anti-abortion.

A nuclear weapon is an abortofacient.
Stop them all, now.

The annual Los Alamos action comes in a few months.
Be there.

I am deeply moved by the site of this holy image, and wonder where we might discover a wall sized printing of this view of Mary the Hibakusha for formal installation in our small desert hermitage here.

A painful image; one to weep with
one we need

Mary the Hibakusha, a reflection of those who have no wine, who are poor and mourn, who are meek yet hunger and thirst for a world of mercy and forgiveness; who see God in peace--not violence; who challenge the empire and its defenders, like the "pro-life archbishop," to put down the sword. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our deaths.

Keep an eye out for COUNTDOWN TO ZERO, a new documentary about the sources of nuclear threat today and solutions; coming out from Participant Productions (AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH; FOOD, INC) on June 28 in theaters nationwide.

Thanks father for the story because we need to hear it more and more. many pro-life catholics are for the death penalty and that doesn't make sense either.

There is another article posted by NCR, the subject of which is the excommunication of a Sister of Mercy who along with others at a Phoenix hospital allowed the abortion of an 11 week fetus of a mother who has a serious illness. There were five or more pages of responses, some of them lengthy.

To this article about nuclear weapons which can kill millions of people, old young, in utero, healthy or physically and mentally ill, there are about a dozen responses. As a three year old child, I suffered the consequences of conventional bombing in Europe which was traumatic enough. As a child immigrant here in the U.S. I feared with every major world crisis, the coming of another war, including nuclear war during the Cold War period. I even went to Medjugorje where allegedly the apparitions of the Blessed Mother were taking place. The message allegedly was one of peace for the world. As part of the tour I went to a neighboring church where I saw this most beautiful statue of Mary. However, Mary the Hibakusha, touches me in a much more profound way....it speaks to my own experience and that of my entire extended German family. Perhaps the allied powers did Japan and Germany a favor by refusing to allow them to re-arm themselves. However, I believe that especially the Japanese have made their own decision not to be a nuclear power because they experienced a nuclear holocaust.

As I stated in another response, the Cold War concept of mutually assured distruction between Russia and the U.S. is a false hope in this era of rogue terrorism. Unfortunately there are too many of us who still embrace this false hope, in part because it is too horrifying to really allow the truth of nuclear annihilation to sink in, so we avoid even talking or writing about it. So we stick our head in the sand as we do about so many other difficult problems...the environment, alternative fuels, lack of fresh water for an ever increasing population, women's issues, slave labor of children just to name a few.

John, thanks for sharing and the work you to to eradicate nuclear weapons. We must eliminate them, we do not have any others choices. The picture of Mary the Hibakusha is haunting, I could hardly keep my gaze off of it.

Thank Father John for your peace message. I am involved in Prison and Jail Ministry and have many parishoners question the need to help the "Bad People".
I always think about Jesus saying "Love God and Love Your Neighbor" I believe this is every human being, good or bad.
I wish our politicians would work as hard for peace as they do to be elected!!!

Nuclear policy decided by and nuclear use regulated by Catholic priest, bishops and cardinals frigten the living day lights out of me! Thes very same men have shown themselves compulsive, unrepentent liars. These Catholic holy men have publicly demonstrated they believe they are superior to every human being. The Catholic heirarchy has made it patently clear they see themselves outside the law - just like dictators. Are you believe these men are wise, knowledgeble and up to the task of determining national nuclear policy.

People claim that 70,000 Japanese were "instatly" killed by an atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. A week later a Japanese city (Tokyo?) was firebombed killing 70,000 Japanese citizens. The magnitude of the human horror and destruction was the same in both cities. Only one plane with one bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, whereas hundreds of bombers dropping 100's of tons of bombs for a steady 4 hours (!)were required to kill 70,000 individuals in Tokyo. The horror is the same, only the eficiency has changed. If you REALLY oppose nuclear weapons over the "dignity of humans" then you MUST oppose all bombs and bombers. Or be perceived a hypocrite.

Since the introduction of nuclear weapons historical deaths due to warfare dropped precipitously and has stayed at an incredibly low level for 60 years! God, religion, and holy morality did not cause this drop.

Have you heard of MAD? That has delivered real (instead of imagined results of any superstitious religin)and favorable results. Reality is needed to deal with nuclear policy and use - not a 'philosphy' that forces realit to comply with it's emotionally based delusion. We need real humans, not liars who believe inthings for which their is no evidence. We need men who understand human nature and work with REAL human nature - not holy men who consistently deny human nature and see human nature as evil and bad from the moment of birth.

The slingshot, bow, gunpowder, cannon, bullets, dynamite, dreadnought, airplane, mustard gas, tank, the machine gun, aircraft carrier, high explosive, jet, submarine, etc. have all been seen a human horror. And each IS a human horror. BUT, please stay in touch with reality an see the ONLY difference between these weapons is an increase in efficiency of destruction. And realize that even though many of these instruments of war have been constantly deployed and used to kill. Atomic weapons have been used ONLY twice in anger. Neither you, nor anyone else can say this about submarines, machine guns, bullets, and jets.

PS: I'm a physicist and poitical junky - so I understand both aspects of warfare. Many of my professors worked on the Manhattan project.