Nov 24, 2019 - World

Pope condemns nuclear weapons as "immoral" in Hiroshima, Nagasaki

Pope Francis

Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

Pope Francis traveled to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, on Sunday to ask world powers to renounce their nuclear weapons, calling the possession and use of atomic bombs wasteful and “immoral," AP reports.

The big picture: Standing with survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings, Francis also criticized countries for dismantling Cold War-era nuclear arms control agreements. His visit was the first day of his three-day Japanese campaign for a global ban on atomic weapons.

What he's saying: "The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral. ... As is the possession of atomic weapons. ... We will be judged for this," the pope said at a prayer ceremony at Hiroshima’s peace memorial, according to AP.

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