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Pope Francis wants Japan to strengthen its commitment to peace and against violence despite the “pointless” assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, the Vatican said.
Francis said in a cable that he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the killing and offered his condolences to Abe’s family and the Japanese people.
Shinzo Abe was shot and killed during a campaign speech in the city of Nara on Friday. Japanese media reported that the arrested gunman developed hatred for a religious group his mother believed in.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin signed the telegram, which said of the Pope: “Following this folly, he prays that Japanese society will strengthen its historic commitment to peace and non-violence. “
Francis last met Abe during a 2019 trip to Japan.
He visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki, dropped two American atomic bombs in World War II, and declared that it was “immoral” to simply possess nuclear weapons.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Francis met at the Vatican in May as Russia advanced the war in Ukraine and North Korea vowed to speed up the development of its own nuclear arsenal.
According to Vatican and Japanese officials, they have vowed to work together to try to free the world from nuclear weapons.
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