On August 9, 1945, another atomic bomb was dropped, on Nagasaki. Since the 16th century Nagasaki was the heart of Japanese Catholicism; it was called the “Rome of Japan.” It had been the site of torture and crucifixion for thousands of Japanese Catholics who refused to give up their faith. The bomb detonated over the heart of the Catholic community. It killed 75,000 as well as two-thirds of the Catholic population. A Catholic survivor, Tagashi Nagai, spent his final years writing, pleading for reconciliation and peace. “Don’t be conformed to this age! Be transfigured by renewal of your minds!”


