One week to go before to the Beatification of Pietro Kibe Kasui and the other 187 Japanese people who were martyred between 1603 and 1639, and Nagasaki is putting the finishing touches to the ceremony of the 24th. For the first time ever, the Japanese land will host the event. Last Saturday, there were the general rehearsals for the 2,500 volunteers who will take part in the ceremony, which will be held at the 25,000-seat Big-N Baseball Stadium, kindly offered by the Prefecture. The cooperation between religious and lay authorities was also highlighted by mgr. Mitsuaki Takami, archbishop of Nagasaki: "The city, where the majority of the population is not Catholic he said , feels this event as if it were its own. It follows the example of the Governor of the Prefecture, a descendant of persecuted Christians of Buddhist faith".” “"We are mostly working at avoiding contingencies, since figures show more people than expected will take part in the event. Maybe 30 thousand people, for whom we have hired 200 shuttle buses and arranged refreshment and first-aid stations says father Isao Hashimoto, coordinator of the promoting committees . We are working so that this event will not be an isolated event but will open the horizon on a Church that was persecuted for having tried to be an open door for the world".” “
