A Lantern for Peace—which remembers the victims of atomic bombings—has arrived at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The lantern is among 22 sent by the city of Hiroshima to International Geneva, the City of Peace, and the headquarters of the United Nations. The lanterns, accompanied by messages prepared by young citizens of Hiroshima, were distributed among organizations in Geneva, including the WCC.

In Geneva, an interfaith Lanterns for Peace ceremony was held 6 August at Chapelle Notre-Dame, organized by Pax Christi in Switzerland and the Interreligious Platform in Geneva. The Lanterns for Peace campaign was developed by Pax Christi International and the Hiroshima Coventry Club (Touro Project), inspired by the lantern ceremonies held each year in Hiroshima.

Every year, Lanterns for Peace are floated on the river in Hiroshima as individual beacons of compassion and hope. The city then sends thousands of lanterns across the world.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) received the lantern as not only a commemoration but a moment of mourning and a genuine call to conscience. The lantern is also a reminder that nuclear weapons are still everyone’s problem, and that abolishing them will require sustained and collective actions, small and big.

“To receive this lantern as a gift from children in Hiroshima is deeply meaningful,” said Rhoda Mphande, WCC youth communication officer. “It carries with it the memory of the past, but also the hope of a new generation for a world where peace prevails over violence.”

Having the lantern at the WCC is a beautiful reminder that peace is something we must nurture together and pass on from one generation to the next, added Mphande. “May its light continue to inspire hope, reconciliation, and our shared commitment to building a more peaceful world.”