Japan Press Weekly

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2019 May 15 - 21 [PEACE]

Religious figures in Tokyo gather for dialogue on peace

Religious figures, regardless of differences of religion, and scholars gathered on March 18 at Sophia University in Tokyo to engage in discussions on peace, denuclearization, and outlooks for a future society.

The university's Catholic Center and faculty of theology hosted this event, calling for solidarity among religionists and researchers through academic dialogue in the spirit of the Vatican's "Prospects for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament" which Pope Francis addressed during an international symposium held after the adaption of the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons in 2017.

Bishop Katsuya Taiji, chair of Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace, said, "Inter-religious solidarity and dialogue will be a powerful message to have politics move in the right direction. The forum today will be an important learning opportunity to achieve that end."

Tilman Ruff, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) founding member and associate professor at University of Melbourne, delivered the keynote address. Kondo Koko of United Church of Christ in Japan and Shirakami Arei of Konkokyo spoke about their A-bomb experiences.