On August 6, peace advocates, faith leaders, and community members will gather on the front steps of the United Methodist Building in Washington, D.C. for Nuclear Prayer Day, a solemn vigil commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. ET, with a rain location inside the building’s chapel.
The interfaith vigil will feature prayers, reflections from disarmament leaders, music, and public calls to action. Participants will remember the lives lost and affirm a shared vision for a world free from nuclear weapons.
“This isn’t just a commemoration—it’s a collective call to shift our future,” said Danny Hall, Capitol Hill Representative and Faith Community Outreach Coordinator for Back from the Brink. “Congress must advance H.Res.317—a bold and urgent framework to end the arms race and prioritize human dignity.”
Several national organizations and faith communities will speak at the vigil, underscoring broad moral and public support for nuclear disarmament:
• Judy Coode, Communications Director of Pax Christi USA, cited Pope Leo XIV’s teachings: “There are no ‘distant’ conflicts when human dignity is at stake.”
• Allen Hester of Friends Committee on National Legislation urged attendees to “work toward a world free of nuclear weapons and the threat they pose to all humanity.”
• Daisaku Leslie of Soka Gakkai International-USA cited Daisaku Ikeda: “It was human beings who gave rise to nuclear weapons. It cannot therefore be beyond the power of human wisdom to eliminate them. Buddhism asserts that human life contains within it the wisdom and compassion powerful enough to rise above any threat or any temptation to resort to violence.”
•Austin Headrick from American Friends Service Committee said, “Passing H.Res.317 and redirecting even a fraction of military spending honors survivors’ pleas to never repeat the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
Faith groups including The United Methodist Church, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, and All Souls Church Unitarian will also offer reflections rooted in moral tradition:
“We lament that the world continues to pour money into weapons and war while people cry out for food, shelter, and safety,” said Colleen Moore, Director of Peace With Justice at the General Board of Church and Society.
“The very possession of nuclear weapons, even for deterrence, is unacceptable and immoral,” said Dan Moriarty of Maryknoll. “We pray for abolition—nothing less.”
As the world marks this somber milestone, nuclear risks are rising. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, more than 12,121 nuclear warheads exist globally, with an increase in warheads on high alert. Flashpoints are intensifying from Israel–Iran, the Korean Peninsula, and India–Pakistan.
Nuclear Prayer Day is one of many global observances this August aimed at honoring the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and pressing world leaders to prevent further catastrophe.
“Our congregation’s history in the aftermath of August 6, 1945, taught us that human connection and solidarity are more powerful than anything that divides us,” said Rev. Rob Keithan of All Souls Church Unitarian.
RSVP https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/816569/
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.