CV NEWS FEED // The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong has canceled its vigil in remembrance of the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 for the third year in a row, according to local HKFP reports.
The Diocese allegedly stated that it had already held a service on the Day of Prayer for the Church in China. HKFP noted that the Diocese “did not organize a memorial last year” either and the year prior, when the celebration was canceled for the first time, the Diocese cited “concerns over a potential break of Beijing-imposed national security law.”
The 1989 crackdown by the People’s Liberation Army followed several months of student-led protests in China and resulted in the deaths of at least 10,000 people, according to the BBC.
“Since frontline workers and some members of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church are concerned that holding these events would violate the national security law, memorial masses for June 4 will not be held,” the Diocese told reporters at the time.
Furthermore, Cardinal Stephen Chow urged Catholics in a prayer published in the Sunday Examiner and in the city’s diocesan newspaper to practice “forgiveness” ahead of the anniversary.
“With forgiveness already available, reconciliation and healing may stand a better chance of becoming a reality,” the Cardinal wrote.
