A symbol of peace and reconciliation: a new bell for Nagasaki

A new bell donated by US Catholics for the atomic bomb-stricken cathedral in the Japanese city of Nagasaki was unveiled to the media on Thursday. It is a faithful replica of the original bronze bell, destroyed in 1945, which will be placed in the tower of Urakami Cathedral on the 80th anniversary of the explosion.

Nagasaki Archbishop Nakamura Michiaki said: ‘I believe that the sound of the new bell ringing in the future will have great significance not only for Catholics, but also for Nagasaki and the United States. I hope this bell can be a source of hope for the efforts to achieve world peace.’

James Nolan Jr., grandson of a doctor involved in the development of the atomic bomb and initiator of the project, said he felt honoured ‘to be able to help restore the sound Urakami had lost for 80 years.

The bell will be rung for the first time on 9 August at 11:02 a.m., the exact moment when the bomb exploded eighty years ago