HELLERTOWN, Pa. — A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.
Then-presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev agreed on that sentiment at a Geneva summit in 1985.
With the 79th annual Hiroshima Day, a local church is set for its own moment of remembrance.
The day honors the more than 100,000 people killed on or following Aug. 6, 1945, after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, leading to its military's formal surrender and ultimately the end of World War II.
“Hiroshima Day expresses the deepest hope of humanity that atomic weapons will never be used again."Christ Lutheran Church of Hellertown
The United States also dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, in the days following the Hiroshima attack.
The livestream of a nationwide moment of silence in Japan and more will take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5, in the sanctuary of Christ Lutheran Church, 69 Main St., Hellertown.
It’s free and open to the public.
The time of the moment of silence coincides with when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima — 8:15 a.m. Aug. 6 in Japan and 7:15 p.m. Aug. 5 in Pennsylvania.
'For the safety of our planet'
“Hiroshima Day expresses the deepest hope of humanity that atomic weapons will never be used again,” a news release from the church reads.
U.N. Representative for United Religions Initiative Monica Willard, who's a resident of Bethlehem, organized the viewing party.
She said she was part of the effort in making the global Nuclear Prayer Day, also recognized on Aug. 6, a reality each year.
“Nuclear Prayer Day is a call for all people to add their prayers for a world free of nuclear weapons for the safety of our planet,” Willard said.
The United Religions Initiative aims “to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings,” according to its website.
