Nagasaki's Urakami Tenshudo Catholic Church held a 6 a.m. mass on Aug. 9 to pray for victims of the city's atomic bombing 66 years ago.
Nagasaki's Urakami Tenshudo Catholic Church held a 6 a.m. mass on Aug. 9 to pray for victims of the city's atomic bombing 66 years ago.
The Urakami Cathedral stood about 500 meters from ground zero where the atomic bomb detonated in 1945 and much of the church was destroyed.
About 300 parishioners attended the early morning mass. The church was rebuilt 14 years after the end of World War II.
Sakae Kojima, head priest at the Urakami Cathedral, said, "Let us pray for those who died in the atomic bombing as well as for the victims of this year's Great East Japan Earthquake."
Kyoko Morita, 76, who attended the service, said, "I want to pray on behalf of the family of my husband who died in the atomic bombing as well as for other people."