Hong Kong cardinal, Catholics mark Tiananmen Square anniversary

Published: 2006-06-06

HONG KONG (CNS) -- Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun joined about 100 Catholics praying for religious freedom and democracy in China while commemorating 17 years since the Tiananmen Square incident. Cardinal Zen said people cannot forget the 1989 tragedy and should demand that Chinese authorities give a clear explanation, especially in accounting for the hundreds allegedly killed, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. The call for democracy and sacrifice had motivated him to spend six months each year in China educating new religious leaders, he said, referring to the time he spent teaching in major seminaries on the mainland from 1989 until 1996. He expressed his belief that the same motivation "encouraged Hong Kong people to show their concern about state affairs and to commemorate those who died in Tiananmen Square." The prayer service was organized by the Union of Hong Kong Catholic Organizations in Support of the Patriotic and Democratic Movement in China.

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