it's was the pope... 19fortyfive about usblogcontact information for 19fortyfivedelete your personal informationhomejames holmesmeet our editorial teammilitarynational security. politics. technology. original reporting. bipartisan.privacy policysubmissionsthe embassy connect with us  hi, what are you looking for? search 19fortyfive 19fortyfive politicsnagasaki was a strike against japan and the catholic church byvictor gaetanpublishedaugust 8, 2021 nagasaki the closer we look at decisions to deploy a second atomic weapon against japan on august 9, 76 years ago, the more morally audacious the tactic appears. step outside the american explanatory cloudwe bombed military installations to force unconditional imperial surrenderdefining public understanding to see: the us government explicitly targeted civilian populations, a violation of international law and codes of military conduct. diplomats and archivists at the vatican are convinced the attack against nagasaki was a strike against japan and the catholic church. they provide a rationale rarely discussed, in the face of general puzzlement over unexplained aspects of the tragedy. ground zero: a catholic spiritual center the second atomic attack was a near-direct hit on asias largest cathedral, in the countrys renowned catholic settlement, urakami, a residential district of nagasakisignificantly north of the citys commercial center and mitsubishis shipyard. the ties between nagasaki and the catholic church go way back: a lord donated land to jesuit missionaries from portugal in 1580. the new religion spread so quickly it was outlawed as a threat to local rulers. twenty-six martyrs were crucified in the citys hills in 1597. the only port continuously open to foreign trade, it was a stronghold of secret faith during the long suppression of christianity 1614-1873) fat man, it decimated 71 percent of the catholic community, many descendants of the hidden christians
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