Nov 26, 2019 (NHK) - Pope Francis has held a mass at Tokyo Dome on Monday in front of a packed audience.
The pontiff arrived at the site on Monday afternoon after taking part in a meeting with young people in Tokyo.
Some 50,000 worshippers, including elementary school students from Catholic schools attended the mass.
They cheered and waved Vatican and Japanese flags for the pope as he arrived in an open-top limousine.
Pope Francis took about 20 minutes making rounds at the venue, kissing small children. He also smiled and waved to the audience.
One attendee was a former death row inmate awaiting a retrial. Iwao Hakamada has long proclaimed his innocence in a high-profile 1966 murder case.
Pope Francis revised the Catholic Church's teachings in 2018 and declared the death penalty inadmissible.
He has been spearheading efforts to abolish capital punishment around the world.
The pope stood at an altar in the middle of the dome and prayed, while worshippers sang a hymn.
He noted that in Japan, a society with a highly developed economy, there are many people who are socially isolated.
He called on the importance of constant cooperation and dialogue with men and women of good will, to overcome the situation.
Pope Francis took to Twitter following his mass.
The tweet reads, "In the ongoing work of recovery and rebuilding after the disasters, many hands must join together and many hearts unite as one. In this way, those who are suffering will be supported and know that they have not been forgotten."
