Abe Invites Pope Francis to Visit Japan

Tokyo, Jan. 31 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday told visiting Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican's secretary for relations with states, that he invites Pope Francis to visit Japan. Abe and Gallagher also confirmed their countries' cooperation toward the elimination of nuclear weapons. The Japanese leader said that if Pope Francis prays for hibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors, that would provide huge power to efforts toward a world without nuclear weapons. Gallagher said that he will convey the invitation to Pope Francis. After that, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met with Gallagher to ask for a visit to Hiroshima, western Japan, by Pope Francis. Hiroshima is one of the two Japanese cities destroyed by U.S. atomic bombings in August 1945, in the closing days of World War II. END