CNA Staff, Aug 3, 2020 / 23:00 pm
Just days ahead of the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, the president of the U.S. bishop's conference mourned the loss of innocent lives in the attacks, lamented the long-term suffering caused by the bombs, and prayed for peace among nations.
"My brother bishops and I mourn with the Japanese people for the innocent lives that were taken and the generations that have continued to suffer the public health and environmental consequences of these tragic attacks," Archbishop Jose Gomez said in a July 30 statement.
The world's only wartime uses of nuclear weapons took place in 1945's Aug. 6 U.S. attack on Hiroshima and Aug. 9 U.S. attack on Nagasaki.
The Hiroshima attack killed around 80,000 people instantly and may have caused about 130,000 deaths, mostly civilians. The attack on Nagasaki instantly killed about 40,000, and destroyed a third of the city.