Pope Francis in Japan

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Students and young people at Tokyo's Sophia University discuss the Nov. 23-26 2019 visit of Pope Francis to Japan.

Japanese Catholic youth: 'We want to reach people'

Nov 27, 2019

“Most of Japanese people don’t know we exist,” Minori Takeuchi told CNA last week.  Read more

Nagasaki's cathedral, after the Aug. 9, 1945 atomic bombing of the city.

At papal Mass, the Marian image that survived Nagasaki's atom bomb

Nov 25, 2019

The image used at a papal Mass in Nagasaki had an additional significance: It is a sculpture of Mary that... Read more

Pope Francis (L) leaves after meeting with Japan's Emperor Naruhito (R) at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on November 25, 2019.

Pope Francis meets the Japanese Emperor, who, like the pope, came after an unexpected resignation

Nov 25, 2019

Pope Francis met Monday with Emperor Naruhito of Japan. It was the first meeting of the two less, less than... Read more

Pope Francis speaks at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan.

Pope Francis in Hiroshima: 'Never again war'

Nov 24, 2019

Pope Francis prayed for peace Sunday at the site of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, where he called for an... Read more

Pope Francis greets Japanese Catholics at Mass in Nagasaki, Japan Nov. 24, 2019.

Be witnesses of hope in the face of evil, Francis urges Catholics in Nagasaki

Nov 23, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

On the Feast of Christ the King Sunday, Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to not be indifferent to evil, but to... Read more

A 17th-century Japanese depiction of St. Francis Xavier, from the Kobe City Museum collection.

What does it mean to be Japanese and Catholic? Pope Francis in Japan raises the question

Nov 23, 2019

For centuries, Japanese intellectuals, emperors, and missionaries have asked the same question: What does it mean to be both Japanese... Read more

Students and young people at Tokyo's Sophia University discuss the Nov. 23-26 2019 visit of Pope Francis to Japan.

Japanese Catholic youth: Pope Francis 'like a grandfather to us'

Nov 23, 2019

Wearing a t-shirt with a cartoon image of Pope Francis, Minori Takeuchi energetically bounces while she walks outside Joseph Hall,... Read more

Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square June 17, 2015.

Pope Francis lands in Japan, where he once hoped to be a missionary

Nov 23, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

In a meeting with bishops in Tokyo Saturday, Pope Francis recalled his former desire to be a missionary to Japan,... Read more

Illustration of the Japanese Tanabata mythology.

Tokyo archbishop: Japanese Shinto celebrations a chance for evangelization

Nov 20, 2019

Though it is mostly an irreligious country, seemingly untroubled by matters of the hereafter, Japan is over-run with festivals and... Read more

Archbishop Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo. CNA file photo.

Archbishop of Tokyo: ‘Collapse of traditional family system’ a challenge for irreligious Japan

Nov 20, 2019

The Archbishop of Tokyo, Isao Kikuchi, spoke with CNA about the challenge for Japanese Catholic churches to keep Catholics engaged,... Read more

Pope Francis aboard a flight from Italy to Ecuador July 5, 2015.

Pope Francis calls use of nuclear weapons 'immoral' ahead of Japan trip

Nov 18, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

In a video message to the country of Japan Nov. 18, Pope Francis said he prays that the power of... Read more

Archbishop Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo. CNA file photo.

Tokyo archbishop: It is 'difficult to find success' on evangelization in Japan

Nov 4, 2019

Efforts by the Catholic Church to evangelize the Japanese population have frequently collided with roadblocks, according to Archbishop of Tokyo... Read more

A mourner at a cemetery on the eighth anniversary of the March 11, 2011 tsunami in Japan.

Pope Francis to meet victims of Japan's 2011 'triple disaster'

Oct 30, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis’ three-day visit to Japan in November will include a meeting with people affected by the country’s “triple disaster,”... Read more