Offered by PCAN (Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) with assistance from AUSCP.
Pope Leo recently called attention to the danger posed by the increasing involvement of Artificial Intelligence in preparations for nuclear war. Introducing his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas on May 25, he said. “The Church has long been working for nuclear disarmament, aware that every great technical power can affect people’s lives and so must be accompanied by adequate moral discernment and public control. Nuclear disarmament remains a service to peace and the dignity of the human family.” (A survey of Papal commentary on nuclear abolition is here on the Vatican website.
PCAN (the Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) recently hosted a 4-part virtual Faith Leaders’ Summit Dialogue to explore the best means of activating Catholics to work for the global abolition of nuclear weapons. While we have not yet compiled a full report on the Summit Dialogue, recordings of all four sessions and links to further information can be found on PCAN’s YouTube channel.
This series was inspired by PCAN’s 2025 survey of attitudes about nuclear weapons among the faithful, in which one obstacle to greater engagement that was frequently cited was that little is being said on the subject from the pulpit. The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has posted our full survey report on its website.
One major theme became immediately evident since it was suggested repeatedly, that is, to get people talking about it. Guilia Bordin, who is working with young people through Pax Christi International, was on the first summit panel and stressed that we need to “break the silence.” She acknowledged that it may feel too technical and too uncomfortable but that we cannot let that stop us. She encouraged us each to “take one step … start one conversation … break one silence.”
In our fourth session Father Stephen Newton, Executive Director of (AUSCP) the Association of US Catholic Priests, suggested that we should encourage priests to preach about nuclear abolition on Sunday, August 9, the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan.
With the above ideas in mind, we have gathered some potential talking points:
- Today (Aug 9, 2026) is the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan. Last year, as people around the world gathered to observe the 80th anniversary, Pope Leo told us, “Indeed, true peace demands the courageous laying down of weapons—especially those with the power to cause an indescribable catastrophe. Nuclear arms offend our shared humanity and also betray the dignity of creation, whose harmony we are called to safeguard.”
- The whisper in the first reading from Kings about Elijah’s experience at the mountain of God, Horeb, reflects the “still, small voice of human conscience” that we should bring to the need for nuclear weapons abolition, rather than the wind and fire of deterrence and mutually assured destruction. As Father Newton noted in his summit presentation, it also reflects the “divine moral truth of our shared humanity [and] shared responsibility” for human survival.
- Last year, to mark the 80th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing, Catholics from across North America came together and replaced the bell in the Nagasaki Urakami Cathedral that the bombing destroyed. The survivors of the bombing were able to restore one of the two original bells, and it has been ringing solo for all these years. We can all appreciate hope inspired by the yearlong tolling of the restored bells. This is a remarkable story. The Nagasaki Cathedral parish is the center of Christianity in Japan, as it was when it was decimated and became ground zero for the atomic bombing in 1945. You can explore the story here (note: the “hear the bell ring” link has expired).
- Parishioners are challenged to engage with government officials and civic organizations at the local level, where we can share information and build support for initiatives like the Back from the Brink (BftB) campaign and the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). People can be easily directed to more information about nuclear weapons and how to support their global abolition at the BftB website. There are also several films that can be shown as a follow up opportunity, including “The Beginning of the End of Nuclear Weapons,” a documentary about the passage of the TPNW.
- It is significant that the advice of starting a conversation also echoes the title of Santa Fe (NM) Archbishop John C. Wester’s groundbreaking 2022 pastoral letter, Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament. His introduction provides a good example of the path we must all travel from awareness of the threat of nuclear war toward the peace Christ offers us.
* Archbishop Wester’s recent statement to the United Nations Annual Meeting of the Arms Control Association on June 2, 2026, is a powerful summary of the teaching of the Catholic Church about the urgent necessity for the abolition of nuclear weapons. His inspirational wisdom can inspire a homilist to speak out clearly at this time.
Additional Resources:
Stories of bombing survivors: https://hibakushastories.org/hibakusha-testimonies/
Educational Resources:
https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/nuclear-weapons-and-security-policy/
Recent NEWS:
Pope Leo XIV said the conscience of just one person can “be worth the entire world” when it comes to preventing a nuclear catastrophe.
https://www.americamagazine.org/news/2026/07/21/pope-leo-book-peace-bob-dylan/
August 9 from the Japanese perspective of Dr Takashi Nagai
https://www.hprweb.com/2010/08/the-catholic-holocaust-of-nagasaki-why-lord/
Source: famous Japanese book & movie about August 9: The Bells of Nagasaki.
NOTE: The PCAN team would appreciate feedback from everyone who may use this document on August 9 as to how well it worked for you and how future talking points might be more helpful to you. Contact us at: paxcan2030@gmail.com