The Catholic Weekly 2 August 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 13 2, August, 2020 FEATURE People carry the remains of a statue of Mary that survived the atomic blast over Nagasaki, Japan, as they march through the streets of the city. PHOTO: CNS PHOTO/KYODO, REUTERS People attend Pope Francis’ celebration of Mass at the baseball stadium in Nagasaki, Japan. PHOTO: CNS/PAUL HARING Pope Francis walks by a photo showing the destruction created by an atomic bomb during his visit to the Jesuit-run Sophia University in Tokyo. PHOTO: CNS/VATICAN MEDIA VIA REUTERS about the papal visit. “There were a whole lot of people who as victims ... [had ex- perienced this pain of ours] ... [which] we hadn’t talked about it, concealed within us. “However, the Pope urged ... that we had to work more for the sake of world peace, so if the Pope says so, even if it is painful, alright, our experi- ences should be added to the discussion ... I think this was the kind of change you see. The Pope’s speech sig- nalled a new paradigm for survivors when he said the bomb was a work of humani- ty. Kataoka acknowledges an enormous difficulty in talk- ing about traumatic experi- ences of the atomic bombing which is not only a personal matter, but is also related to earlier waves of ambivalence in the Nagasaki Church about atomic and nuclear weapons. The Church’s official stance, especially in the strong Naga- saki archdiocese, was at best hesitant and I discuss in my book how a theology that the bombing may be understood as a part of the providence of God was at least at times dam- aging for survivors, struggling to even partially recover from the trauma they had experi- enced. Pope Francis, though, was unambivalent in his mes- sage. Thirty-eight years later, central Nagasaki was shut down for the current Pope’s visit in late 2019. I stood with the crowd 50 metres from the hypocentre - Ground Zero - cenotaph waiting for the cav- alcade as we were soaked by a rainstorm. Standing under an umbrel- la, Francis delivered a staunch anti-nuclear message. Even- tually, the sun re-emerged for the mass and hundreds of local Catholics sang from high in the stands of the baseball stadium. So how are we to under- stand painful events of the wartime past, even as – like the rest of the world - Nagasa- ki faces the deathly impact of the coronavirus? The threat of nuclear war is still with us, as Francis point- ed out so recently, lending an uneasiness to the upcoming anniversary. Akira Kawasaki, a repre- sentative of Peaceboat Japan wrote to me that as the media directs its attention towards the COVID-19 crisis, it is dis- appointing for the hibakusha survivors who want to send a clear message about the abo- lition of nuclear weapons. Seirai Yuichi, a novelist and previous director of the Naga- saki Atomic Bomb Museum, agrees that the discussion of coronavirus appears to be stealing time from the dis- cussion of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. “Society may miss the opportunity for reflection” which the 75th an- niversary offers, he wrote in an email to Miyamoto and I. Meanwhile, the growing tendency of politicians and commentators in Japan to act as if Japan’s wrong acts in the past did not happen (which I would argue are dangerous to the status quo) must be chal- lenged and it’s crucial to re- member the negatives of the past, Kawasaki noted in his email. Importantly, commem- orations in Nagasaki offer a model of inter-religious col- laboration. Nagai Tokusaburo, the grandson of Nagai Takashi, the well-known Catholic doc- tor who assisted in Nagasaki’s recovery efforts, writes that despite the threat of a loss of focus on the commem- orations, there are unique religious collaborations in Nagasaki aimed at praying for peace. Nagai mentioned the shuukyousha konwakai , religious group discussions where those of different per- suasions can meet together and consider peace. Seirai also writes of the inter-religious ireisai memo- rial service held on 8 August which is attended by Bud- dhist, Christian and Shinto group representatives to pray for the victims of the atomic bombing and for peace. Another individual told me that for the Nagasaki Catholic church, which experienced the catastrophic damage of the atomic bomb directly, the consoling of the spirits of those who died and memorial events are deeply important. He also noted that despite John Paul II’s unequivocal words about the bomb as the work of humanity, a discus- sion about the atomic bomb- ing interpreted as ‘God’s prov- idence’ continued into the present and that the believers continued to have disagree- ments over this issue. Dr Gwyn McClelland lectures in Japanese at the University of New England in Armidale. His book, Dan- gerous Memory in Nagasaki: Prayers, Protests and Cath- olic Survivor Narratives was published by Routledge in September 2019. Contribut- ing to this article was Dr Yuki Miyamoto, who lectures at Depaul University, Chicago. In brief Elderly have spiritual needs too Society speaks out THE ST Vincent de Paul Society is calling for the release of refugees de- tained in hotels in Bris- bane and Melbourne. About 200 refugees transferred to Australia for medical treatment un- der the repealedMedevac legislation are being de- tained in hotels in Mel- bourne and Brisbane. In a statement coincid- ing with the seventh anni- versary of the start of Aus- tralia’s regime of off-shore immigration detention, SVP National President Claire Victory reiterated the charity’s call for the immediate release of ref- ugees into safer accom- modation. Meanwhile the execu- tive officer of Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, Peter Arndt, joined a candle- light vigil last Sunday out- side the Kangaroo Point Central Hotel supporting calls for the freedom of refugees detained there in deteriorating condi- tions. STAFF IN aged care should be trained to rec- ognise the importance of spirituality for those who are frail and elderly, a Charles Sturt University academic has said. “Staff training in this regard for the care of frail older people needs to be set up throughout the aged care industry,” Pro- fessor Elizabeth MacK- inlay said regarding new research released by the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture. The study indicates the crucial role of spirituality in dealing with ageing and explored the expe- riences of 25 frail elderly people in Australia. “Frailty is not only a physical and psychoso- cial concern, but is a con- dition affecting the whole human being in relation to the wellbeing of self and others,” said Profes- sor MacKinlay. “Frail older people are at a crucial stage of their life journey; mak- ing sense of this journey becomes an important spiritual task. “How older people connect with their stories, and how stories connect them with loved ones and those who care for them will make real differences in the quality of lives for these frail people.”