Day 4

Another remarkable and engaging day in Hiroshima. The archbishops met with a local Japanese reporter to share the story behind the Pilgrimage of Peace. This was followed by a meeting with Noriko Hiruma from the Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace and Tomoki Yanagawa from the Jesuit Social Center. Tomoki originally read Archbishop Wester’s pastoral letter in English and translated it into Japanese and Korean to help share its message.

After lunch, Archbishop Wester gave a significant and well-received lecture at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima. (Text | Video Stream ) It was followed by a short reflection from Archbishop Etienne (text). This event closed with the Pilgrimage of Peace Novena prayed in Japanese by Bishop Shirihama.

World Peace Memorial Cathedral
View from the Altar
Signing the guest book
Gifts for Noriko Hiruma and Tomoko Tanagawa
Exchanging gifts with Bishop Shirahama
Concelebrating Mass at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral
Concelebrating around the altar
1000 paper cranes for peace
Bishops posing for a photo
Bishop’s dinner
Big thank you to Tomoki for his translation of Archbishop Wester’s pastoral letter
Archbishop Wester’s lecture at World Peace Memorial Cathedral
Archbishop Etienne invites guests to stand and stretch

Shortly after the lecture, both archbishops concelebrated a remarkable Mass in Japanese with:

  • Cardinal Aquino Manyo Maeda, Archbishop of Osaka
  • Archbishop Leo Boccardi, Apostolic Nuncio to Japan
  • Mon. Fabrice Rivet, Counselor, Apostolic Nunciature to Japan
  • Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo
  • Archbishop Peter Michiaki Nakamura of Nagasaki
  • Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki
  • Bishop Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama of Hiroshima
  • Bishop Josep Maia Abella Batlie of Fukuoka
  • Bishop Edgar Gacutan of Sendai
  • Bishop Michael Goro Matsuura of Nagoya
  • Bishop Paul Yoshinao Otsuka of Kyoto
  • Bishop John Eijioro Suwa of Takamatsu
  • Bishop Mario Michiaki Yamano of Saitama
Pilgrimage of Peace