Pope Francis warned Monday the world is on the verge of a nuclear war.

"I think we are at the very limit," he said when asked by a reporter aboard his plane about the chances of a nuclear conflict. "I am really afraid of this. One accident is enough to precipitate things."

Reporters were given a photograph of the pillage following the 1945 bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, and showed a Japanese boy carrying his deceased brother.

"I was moved when I saw this. The only thing I could think of adding were the words ‘the fruit of war’," Francis said. "I wanted to have it reprinted and distributed because an image like this can be more moving than a thousand words. That is why I wanted to share it with you."

The comment comes days after Hawaiian residents were mistakenly told by the state government of an impending nuclear attack by North Korea on the Pacific islands. Pope Francis did not mention North Korea or the recent scare in Hawaii.

But it's not the first time the religious leader has weighed in on foreign policy or defense matters. Last November, he said countries should not stockpile nuclear weapons in an attempt to deter other nations from attacking them.