Early the morning of August 6th, 2024, eighteen peacemakers from the DMV held a nonviolent witness/commemoration prayer service at the Pentagon to mark the 79th anniversary of U.S. nuclear atrocities committed against Japan. The witness was organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  

During this prayer service of Remembrance, Repentance, and Resistance we prayed for the victims of these unspeakable nuclear atrocities, and called on the nation to repent for the nuclear sin and abolish war and nuclear weapons. Our witness was in solidarity with similar actions worldwide taking place at this time, with peace prisoners in Germany, Susan Crane and Susan van der Hijden, and all who are calling for total nuclear abolition and that the US and other nuclear nations ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

As we gathered to begin the witness in the designated protest area, which now includes a brand-new Hercules fence (just for us), we displayed photos of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and banners next to the fence and sidewalk where civilians and soldiers pass by on their way into the building. After a brief opening (see below), Scott Wright and Mary read the Apology Petition to the people of Japan. Judy Coode read a harrowing excerpt of Hiroshima Survivor Setsuko Thurlow’s acceptance speech for the 2017 ICAN Nobel Peace Prize. I offered a song of the A-Bomb survivors. Kathy Boylan read a moving excerpt from Dorothy Day’s condemnation of the use of nuclear weapons against the Japanese that was published in the September 1945 issue of the Catholic Worker paper. Merwyn and Kirstin DeMello, Paul Magno, and Sr. Diane Roche read a reflection on the decision to use the Bomb, the perils of nuclear weapons and the moral necessity to ban them. We all then sang “Little Dead Girl of Hiroshima.” Bill Mefford and Bob Cooke led the Litany of Repentance, and Mike Walli read Dan Berrigan’s poem “Shadow on the Rock.” We then sang the song “Vine and Fig Tree.” We concluded with a closing circle and recitation of the Lord's Prayer.

I want to express great gratitude to everyone who attended this witness, did readings and led prayers, as well as for those who could not attend and who expressed their prayerful solidarity. 

For those in the DMV area, please join us on August 9 outside the White House from Noon-1:00 PM to commemorate the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

In hope for a disarmed world,

Art

Opening by Art Laffin for Aug. 6, 2024 Commemoration Prayer Service at the Pentagon

May the peace and love of God be with all of us today. My name is Art Laffin and, on behalf of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, I welcome you to this vigil and prayer service of remembrance, repentance, and resistance. 

August 6 and 9th mark the 79th anniversary of the unspeakable atrocities of the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Jesus commands us to love and to renounce all violence and killing. We come to the Pentagon in a spirit of Gospel nonviolence to commemorate these sinful and criminal bombings, to repent for the nuclear sin, to remember all victims of nuclearism, to resist ongoing nuclear war preparations, and to appeal to government officials, religious leaders and all people of goodwill to create a world without violence, injustice, weapons and war—a nonviolent world free of the triple evils that Dr. King proclaimed: racism, economic exploitation and poverty, and militarism—and we also add environmental devastation. 

We are deeply grateful to all the groups who are participating in and supporting this witness today. They include: Pax Christi Metro-DC, Pax Christi USA, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Franciscan Action Network, Anne Montgomery House, Isaiah Project and Nonviolence International. We stand in solidarity with people across the US and worldwide who are acting today to especially call on the U.S. and the other eight nuclear nations to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which entered into force in Jan. 2021 thereby making nuclear weapons illegal under international law. 

We especially lift up the Hibakusha who appeal to the world to abolish all nuclear weapons. And we remember Archbishop Wester of Santa Fe, NM, and others who are on a peace pilgrimage in Japan praying with the Bishops and wider church there, and calling on the nuclear nations to abolish ALL nuclear weapons.      

On April 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s martyrdom, the KBP7 declared during their plowshares action at the Kings Bay Trident base in St. Mary's Georgia: “Nuclear weapons eviscerate the rule of law, enforce white supremacy, perpetuate endless war and environmental destruction, and ensure impunity for all manner of crimes against humanity. Dr. King said, ‘The ultimate logic of racism is genocide.’ We say, ‘The ultimate logic of Trident is omnicide.’” In 2017 Pope Francis stated that the possession of nuclear weapons is immoral and is to be firmly condemned. The A-Bomb Survivors (Hibakusha) plead to the world: “Humankind can’t coexist with nuclear weapons.” We invite all who work in the government and military, and all people of goodwill, to join with us and everyone worldwide who is working to abolish nuclear weapons. We pray and act to ensure that the mortal sin of using nuclear weapons will never be repeated!

On this feast of the Transfiguration, let us pray that we and all the people of God can be transfigured by Christ's unconditional love and become people of nonviolence. 

Below is the material from the Prayer Service from August 6 at the Pentagon.

Apology Petition

During our Prayer Service of Repentance in front of the White House on August 6, 2016, an Apology Petition was read and presented to Mr. Mimaki, a Hiroshima A-bomb survivor. Over 700 people signed the petition. In September 2016, Mr. Mimaki delivered the petition to the Mayor of Hiroshima and is now at the Hiroshima Peace Museum. Four years ago, to mark the 75th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Japan, an updated Apology Petition was signed by over 240 people and sent to the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to the Hibakusha organization in Japan. This petition was prepared by Scott Wright and Art Laffin and endorsed by a number of religious and peace groups.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki: An Apology
Envision the World Without Nuclear Weapons
August 6 and 9, 2020
75th Anniversary of the U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki  

The 75th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a time of remembering the horror, repenting the sin and reclaiming a future without nuclear weapons. It is a time to recommit ourselves to the work of disarming and dismantling the machinery of mass destruction and abolishing war.

We unite in prayerful witness with people of faith and conscience across the globe to mark this historic anniversary. As citizens of the United States, we invite people to publicly ask God for forgiveness for the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which caused the immediate death of more than 200,000 people, and hundreds of thousands more who died in the aftermath as a result of radiation poisoning. We apologize to the people of Japan—and to the survivors of the bombing, the hibakusha—for our country’s bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and we ask forgiveness for these atrocities.

Pope Paul VI, in his 1976 World Day of Peace Message, described the bombings as "a butchery of untold magnitude." Pope Francis, who in 2017 condemned the possession of nuclear weapons as immoral, reminded us once more, during his 2019 visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, of “the unspeakable horror suffered in the flesh by the victims of the bombing and their families,” and reaffirmed his conviction that “a world without nuclear weapons is [both] possible and necessary.”

Nuclear weapons are sinful and idolatrous. The mining, testing and deployment of these weapons have desecrated native lands and the Marshall and South Pacific Islands and have caused incalculable ecological devastation and early deaths of countless people exposed to nuclear radiation. Their research, production and deployment are a theft from the poor, and a crime against God's creation, humanity and future generations. We repent for these sins and for the continued proliferation of nuclear weapons at the expense of unmet human needs. Further, we offer repentance for our nation's possession and threatened use of nuclear weapons to enforce a world order based on systemic racism and the destruction of the cultural and biological diversity of our planet.

We decry the fact that the U.S. government is committed to a 30-year upgrade of its nuclear arsenal at an estimated cost of $1.7 trillion. . . . We implore the U.S. to end its nuclear modernization program, renounce its first-use nuclear policy, and to sign and ratify the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. We call on all Christians and people of good faith everywhere to refuse to participate in the production, maintenance, threatened use and use of these murderous weapons.

We firmly resolve, with God’s grace and mercy, to reject the false idols of nuclear weapons, and to embrace the life-affirming work of abolishing these weapons of terror.

As the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist Doomsday Clock is set to 100 seconds before midnight (now reset to 90 seconds) let us heed the plea of the Hibakusha to the world: "Humanity and nuclear weapons cannot co-exist." Now is the time to pursue non-violent alternatives to war and to lay the foundations for just peace; now is the time to restore justice for the poor and integrity to creation, and to seek a nuclear-free future for our children.

On that day, the prophet reminds us, “God will rule over all nations and settle disputes for all peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not raise sword against nation; nor will they train for war anymore” (Is 2:4).

In that spirit, we solemnly renew our commitment to that biblical vision and promise of peace and justice, when the world will finally be free from the scourge of war and the terror of nuclear weapons.

Read Excerpt of Hiroshima Survivor Testimony  

Read Excerpt from Dorothy Day 

A-Bomb Survivors Song

Reflection–Refrain–We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now! 

SONG: I COME AND STAND – Dead Little Girl of Hiroshima

I come and stand at every door, But no one hears my silent prayer, I knock and yet remain unseen, For I am dead, for I am dead.

I'm only seven although I died, In Hiroshima long ago. I'm seven now as I was then, When children die they do not grow.

My hair was scorched by a swirling flame, My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind, Death came and turned my bones to dust,mAnd that was scattered by the wind.

I need no fruit, I need no rice, I need no sweets nor even bread, I ask for nothing for myself, For I am dead, for I am dead.

All that I ask is that for peace, You work today, you work today, So that the children of this world, May live and grow and laugh and play.

Litany of Repentance

For the U.S. development, use, and threatened use of nuclear weapons, Forgive us O God 

For the over 200,000 people who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a direct result of the U.S. nuclear bombings, Forgive us O God 

For the countless Japanese A-Bomb survivors who have suffered and died from the effects of nuclear radiation, Forgive us O God 

For all Native Americans who have died as a result from the mining of uranium on their sacred lands, 

Forgive us  God

For the unknown numbers of people who have suffered and died from nuclear testing in the South Pacific, Forgive us O God 

For workers in nuclear facilities who were exposed to radiation and who have suffered and died, 

Forgive us O God

For those living downwind from nuclear facilities who have contracted cancer and other illnesses and who have died, Forgive us O God 

For those prisoners and people with mental disabilities who were subjects of nuclear radiation experiments, Forgive us O God    

For the U.S. use of highly toxic radioactive depleted uranium weapons in Iraq, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and elsewhere which have claimed untold lives and have caused dramatic increases of cancer, leukemia and birth defects in each of the countries where these weapons have been used, Forgive us O God 

For the millions who needlessly suffered and died--past and present--because of the money and resources squandered on weapons and war instead of on programs to help eradicate poverty and preventable diseases, Forgive us O God 

For desecrating the earth and the environmental damage caused by the mining, testing and use of nuclear technology, Forgive us O God 

For the U.S. militarizing space and the dangerous use of nuclear technology in space,

Forgive us O God 

For the U.S. military being the world’s single biggest consumer of fossil fuels, and the single entity most responsible for destabilizing the Earth’s climate, Forgive us O God 

For U.S. complicity in Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, Forgive us o God

For placing our trust in weapons and mammon rather than in God, Forgive us O God

"SHADOW ON THE ROCK" by Daniel Berrigan, SJ

At Hiroshima there’s a museum 
and outside that museum there’s a rock, 
and on that rock there’s a shadow. 
That shadow is all that remains 
of the human being who stood there on August 6, 1945 
when the nuclear age began. 
In the most real sense of the word, 
that is the choice before us. 
We shall either end war and the nuclear arms race now in this generation,
or we will become Shadows On the Rock. 

August 6, 2024 Reflection/Prayer on Nuclear Threat

Refrain: We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

The powers that be want us to believe that nuclear weapons were used to save American lives and end WWII. This is a fallacy! Both General Eisenhower, and Admiral Leahy, head of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff, opposed using the atomic bomb. They declared that Japan was already defeated and on the verge of surrender and, as Eisenhower stated, "that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary" and "no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives."

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

According to Gar Alperovitz, in his compelling book, Atomic Diplomacy, nuclear weapons were used against the Japanese primarily for two reasons: "first, the U.S. wanted to hasten its victory over Japan without the aid of the Russians, who were about to enter the war; second, and most importantly, President Truman intended to threaten the Russians and warn them not to challenge U.S. plans for organizing the postwar world.” We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

The U.S. has never repented for using nuclear weapons. The violence unleashed at Hiroshima set in motion a trajectory of unrelenting violence by the U.S. in the wars of aggression that it has waged over the last seven decades in many countries, claiming untold lives. Moreover, the U.S. has continued to build even deadlier weapons which endanger all of creation. Beginning with the Manhattan Project in 1940, the U.S. has spent nearly $10 trillion on its nuclear weapons program.

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

On January 23, 2023, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reset the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds before midnight, the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been. This is due to the existential threats of nuclear war and the climate crisis, bio- and cyber threats, nuclear proliferation, State-Sponsored Disinformation and Disruptive Technology. The Ukraine war has further exacerbated the nuclear peril between the two foremost nuclear powers as both Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals are now on high alert. While the U.S. has always maintained a “first-use” nuclear weapons policy, Russia has publicly stated it would consider using nuclear weapons if it feels endangered by increased U.S. and NATO intervention in the Ukraine war. 

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

According to the Federation of American Scientists, nine countries possess roughly 12,700 warheads. Approximately 90 percent of all nuclear warheads are owned by the U.S. and Russia (Russia has 5,977; the U.S. has 5,428). U.S. nuclear weapons are also stored at six military bases in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Belgium and Turkey. Furthermore, U.S. and NATO missile defense systems ring Russia and China, increasing already heightened tensions. The U.S. and Russia, whose nuclear forces are on high alert, are developing hypersonic weapons that could become nuclear capable.

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

During the Trump administration, the U.S. dramatically increased the nuclear danger by threatening to use nuclear weapons against adversaries on several occasions. Moreover, the U.S. withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal and the INF Treaty with Russia and carried out a subcritical nuclear test, a flagrant violation of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. In its 2019 Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations, policy makers declared that a limited nuclear war could be waged and won. This doctrine was the latest manifestation of a long-held existing Pentagon policy positing that the U.S. must be prepared at all times to use whatever military force is necessary, including nuclear weapons, to protect its vital interests in the world. Also, in February 2020, the “lower-yield” W76-2 nuclear warhead on Trident missiles was deployed, a smaller warhead the military believes is more usable. Additionally, a new U.S. space force was created to oversee military control and domination of space.

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

On March 28, 2022 the Biden administration transmitted to Congress a classified Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) which basically reaffirms preexisting U.S. nuclear doctrine, including refusal to adopt a “no first-use” nuclear policy. President Biden has continued the modernization of nuclear forces, On June 17, 2024, ICAN released a report about global nuclear weapons spending in 2023 totaling over $91 billion. The United States’ share of total spending, $51.5 billion, is more than all the other nuclear-armed countries put together and accounts for 80% of the increase in nuclear weapons spending in 2023. The next biggest spender was China which spent $11.8 billion with Russia spending the third largest amount at $8.3 billion. The U.S. nuclear arsenal upgrade now underway is estimated to cost $1.7 trillion over the next several decades, while poverty increases, the climate crisis worsens, and basic human needs go unmet. As a leading nuclear superpower, the U.S. practices a double standard by calling on other nations to disarm while, at the same time, it refuses to disarm and instead is rapidly expanding its own arsenal.

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

The Navy has contracted with General Dynamics to build the Columbia class nuclear subs to replace the existing Trident fleet. Twelve Columbia class subs will cost over $120 billion and the first of these subs will be named the USS District of Columbia. This is sinful and criminal! As these exorbitant resources are spent on weapons of mass murder, 90 people died without the dignity of home last year in D.C. 

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

The taproot of violence in our society today is our intent to use nuclear weapons. Once we have agreed to that, all other evil is minor in comparison. Until we squarely face the question of our consent to use nuclear weapons, any hope of large-scale improvement of public morality is doomed to failure.

—Fr. Richard McSorley, SJ

The USS Florida Trident nuclear submarine, now refitted with Tomahawk cruise missiles, was deployed on November 5, 2023 to the Middle East, in support of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza. On July 5, 1982, the Trident Nein carried out a plowshares action directed at the USS Florida at General Dynamics/EB in Groton, CT. We join our voice with all those urgently calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to all U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel and U.S. complicity in the genocide, forced starvation and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, an end to the occupation of Palestine, and for a just peace for Palestine and Israel.

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

On July 7, 2017, at the conclusion of a special "UN Conference To Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons," 122 countries voted in favor of a historic treaty to legally prohibit nuclear weapons. On January 22, 2021, the TPNW went into force, thereby making nuclear weapons illegal under international law. To date 68 countries have ratified the TPNW. However all the nuclear armed states have refused to sign it. We call on the U.S., the only country to have ever used nuclear weapons, to ratify this treaty and lead the way to total worldwide nuclear disarmament. 

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

Pope Francis declared: "Nor can we fail to be genuinely concerned by the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental effects of any employment of nuclear devices. If we also take into account the risk of an accidental detonation as a result of error of any kind, the threat of their use, as well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned…The total elimination of nuclear weapons is...a moral and humanitarian imperative of our time.”  

We Repent for the Nuclear Sin-Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now

Nuclear weapons are immoral and illegal. They can never be used under any circumstance. This means that any one in the military chain of command must refuse orders to ever use these or other similar murderous weapons.