On November 24 (Sunday), 2019, Pope Francis visited Hiroshima City for the first time since the visit of Pope John Paul II thirty-eight years ago. He participated in the Peace Gathering held at Peace Memorial Park, and dedicated flowers at the Memorial Cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims, and then listened to hibakusha testimonies by Ms. Yoshiko Kajimoto and Mr. Koji Hosokawa (which was read out instead of Mr. Hosokawa who was unable to attend due to poor health).
　Ms. Kajimoto was working as a mobilized student around 2.3km from the hypocenter when the bomb was dropped. She spoke about suffering serious injuries trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, the tragic scenes of people with burns fleeing from the city with their skin hanging down, and about her father who passed away a year and a half after the bombing.
　Mr. Hosokawa was on the fourth floor of a building 1.3km from the hypocenter at the time of the bombing. In his message, he spoke about the loss of his beloved younger sister in the bombing, the time he spent living in fear of a relapse of radiation sickness, and his work passing on the message of Hiroshima, as the mission of the hibakusha.
　This was followed by a speech by the Pope on peace. He spoke about remembering all the victims of the atomic bombing, and expressed his deep respect for the strength and pride of the hibakusha. The Pope also said that using atomic energy for war is nothing other than a crime today, that possessing nuclear weapons is immoral, and called for the people of the world to express together their wish for no more war.
　From December 27, 2019, on the first floor of the East building of the Peace Memorial Museum there is a display of the message that the Pope wrote when he visited the museum, as well as a lit candle and candleholder.
　The message from the Pope states “I have come as a pilgrim of peace, to grieve in sincerity with all who suffered injury and death on that terrible day in the history of this land. I pray that the God of life will convert beauty to peace, unification and fraternity with love.”
　The candleholder was placed in front of the Memorial Cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims at the time of the peace gathering. It is a brass candleholder, 1.15m tall. A candle was placed in it and the Pope lit the candle.
　Through this display, we hope that visitors will learn of the Pope’s strong desire for peace, and reaffirm the need for the people of the world to join forces to create a peaceful world.