Pope Francis, speaking in one of the only two cities hit by atomic bombs in history, appealed for the abolition of nuclear weapons on Sunday, saying their mere possession was perverse and indefensible.
"The possession of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction is not the answer (to longings for peace)," Francis said in a message delivered at Nagasaki's Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park, ground zero of the bomb the United States dropped on Aug. 9, 1945, instantly killing 27,000 people.
"Our world is marked by a perverse dichotomy that tries to defend and ensure stability and peace through a false sense of security sustained by a mentality of fear and mistrust," he said, speaking in driving rain.