As the 75th anniversaries of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki approach, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a call for international justice and peace to make sure those are the only times atomic weapons are used in war.

The eight members of the organization's Committee for International Justice and Peace renewed the call on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' website on July 13.

The United States bombed Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and Nagasaki three days later.

The Catholic Church began observing Ten Days of Prayer for Peace after Pope John Paul II visited Japan in 1981, the website reported.

Pope Francis visited Nagasaki last year and declared that a world free from nuclear war is a just desire. 

“Our response to the threat of nuclear weapons must be joint and concerted, inspired by the arduous yet constant effort to build mutual trust and thus surmount the current climate of distrust,” Pope Francis said, the organization's website reported.

The Committee on International Justice and Peace seeks to carry out the Holy Father’s charge that the world operates out of a place of justice and human solidarity rather than fear and distrust.