From August 2-9, Archisbop John Wester or Santa Fe, NM, and Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle participated in a peace pilgrimage to Hiroshima, Japan, to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb. The pilgrimage included Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki and Bishop Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama of Hiroshima. The visit included an interfaith prayer service and a special ceremony at Hiroshima's peace memorial. The four bishops issued a joint statement urging nuclear disarmament and pledging continued partnership to advance that goal.
The pilgrimage website contains public addresses by Archbishops Wester and Etienne.
See also a report on the pilgrimage from OSV News.
Joint statement from Archisbop Wester, Archbishop Etienne, Archbishop Takami, and Bishop Shirahama.