It is hoped Pope Leo will carry forward predecessor’s message of peace and call for nuclear disarmament.
May 12, 2025
This May 11 photo shows Pope Leo XIV during his first Reginal Caeli prayer from the main central loggia of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. (Photo: AFP / Vatican Media)
By Keiko Kurane
Japan’s government, Church leaders, atomic bomb survivors and lay Catholics have welcomed the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope and first Augustinian friar to assume the papacy, recalling his past visit to Nagasaki and expressing hope that he will carry forward his predecessor’s message of peace and call for nuclear disarmament.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, was elected the 267th pontiff on May 8 following Pope Francis’ death. Nearly two decades ago, he visited Nagasaki, where he met clergy and visited local churches.
“He came here when he was our Father General,” Fr Michael Hilden, 77, of Shiroyama Catholic Church, told UCA News.
“He visited us twice here. He visited our churches. This is 17 years and 20 years ago. He was very kind in person, humble and faithful.”
According to Hilden, Shiroyama Catholic Church has about 1,500 parishioners, primarily Japanese.
The US-born missionary, who has served in Japan since 1973, described the new pope as a global-minded leader. “I’m not excited because he’s American. But I’m excited because he’s my brother in the mission,” he said. “He’s not nationalistic. He cares about the whole world.”
“I’m very happy. He works hard for the Church. So I thought he was a very good choice by the College of Cardinals. But the Holy Spirit is working and he chose someone humble yet capable,” he added.
That visit to Nagasaki, Hilden said, left a mark. “Not just because he visited Nagasaki, but because of world peace. I think all kinds of weapons will be his aim,” he said, expressing hope that Pope Leo will become a moral voice for disarmament.
Terumi Tanaka, 93, a survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bombing and co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, which received the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, also hopes the new pontiff will echo his predecessor’s anti-nuclear stance.
“I hope he does his best for peace,” Tanaka told UCA News. “I want this message to spread around the world. We must not use nuclear weapons.”
Pope Francis had called for the abolition of nuclear arms during his 2019 pilgrimage to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a message widely welcomed in Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic bombings.
The Land of the Rising Sun had about 422,000 Catholics as of 2022, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Japanese leaders sent formal congratulatory messages, reaffirming support for the Vatican’s global mission.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s message to the Vatican’s acting secretary of state, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, on May 9, expressed hope that Japan and the Holy See would “further develop the excellent relationship and work together for world peace and prosperity.”
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who attended Pope Francis’ funeral, told reporters May 9: “Japan will continue its efforts to deepen ties under the new pope.”
The government is reportedly considering sending former prime minister Taro Aso, a Catholic, to represent Japan at the pope’s inaugural Mass in Rome on May 18.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan (CBCJ) called Pope Leo “a powerful pastor” with administrative and missionary experience.
A Mass to celebrate Pope Leo’s election will be held on May 16 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Tokyo, led by Cardinal Isao Kikuchi, archbishop of Tokyo
For ordinary Catholics in Japan, the new pope brings renewed hope.
“We hope that someday he will visit Japan again,” said Leticia Cagayat, 72, who listens to online Mass daily and attends Isesaki Catholic Church.
“As we know, there are few Catholics here. His presence will strengthen faith in God and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. As a pope and head of the Vatican State, he will have a state visit to the Emperor and Empress of Japan.”
Media discussions show that many in Japan wait to hear the plea for peace from a man who once stood quietly on the scarred soil of Nagasaki.
“Of course, I hope he visits again,” Father Hilden said. “But more than that, I hope he keeps teaching us peace.”–ucanews.com
AloJapan.com