Never Again … It’s Up To Us

STEWARDS OF OUR EARTH

All of God’s Creation

Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, August 17, 2025

“Eighty years ago, on Aug. 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m. local time, an atomic bomb brought death and destruction to the residents of Hiroshima, killing more than 150,000 people. Three days later, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 75,000.” (J. Kevin Appleby, America, 8/7/25) 

“Entire neighborhoods were vaporized. Survivors staggered through fire and ash. Tens of thousands more died from radiation poisoning in the days and years that followed.

So many swore: Never again. But the terrifying reality is that today, we’re dangerously close to the brink of nuclear catastrophe…. As multiple countries ramp up nuclear weapons development, the risk of technological error and human miscalculation skyrockets, along with the likelihood of mutual destruction….

As the only nation to have used nuclear weapons in conflict, the U.S. government has a unique responsibility to lead the international community toward a safer and more secure future…. It took years of policy, politics, and people agreeing to build weapons that could devastate humanity — and it’ll take policy, politics, and people to build the more peaceful world we all want and deserve. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to never again allow a nuclear nightmare to unfold.” (Win Without War, 8/9/25).

Cardinal Cupich in a speech at the Interreligious Symposium of Nuclear Issues and World Peace in Nagasaki urged the U.S. “to seek to build an international order that rests upon a non-nuclear foundation,” calling for renewed arms reduction efforts and a rejection of neo-isolationism. “The human race must commit itself to the end of the nuclear arms race, for it is a race which none can truly win but countless millions can truly lose.” (Vatican News, 8/7/25)

“At the official ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary, two elementary school children spoke movingly, committing to keep alive the memory of those who suffered and died that day: ‘We, the children, have the ability to take action for peace. In order to avoid repeating what happened that day, to avoid repeating the history of Hiroshima, we will build peace by continuing to convey the will of the hibakusha [the “bomb-affected people”] and weaving our voices together as one.’” (J. Kevin Appleby, America, 8/7/25) 

“Let us continue to pray for an end to all wars,” Pope Leo said. The 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he noted, has stirred a global awakening to the need to firmly reject war as a solution to conflict. “Those in positions of power must never lose sight of the consequences their decisions have on people’s lives. They must not ignore the needs of the most vulnerable or the universal longing for peace.” (Vatican News, 8/10/25)

“Building peace is a craft that demands serenity, creativity, sensitivity, and skill. We are called to be artisans of peace.” (Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate – Rejoice and Be Glad)

Comments on this column may be directed to the Social Justice Committee at socialjustice@holycrossphl.org. Click here for column archive.