Hong Kong’s top Catholic priest urges ‘forgiveness’ for harm caused in Tiananmen Square crackdown ahead of anniversary
- Cardinal Stephen Chow says Hongkongers must move on from the ‘sadness and resentments’ caused by event for sake of ‘reconciliation and healing’
- Priest’s comments come in wake of first arrests made by Hong Kong police under local national security law
Hong Kong’s top Catholic priest has called on residents to “proactively forgive” those who inflicted wounds during the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and move on from “the dark space of unending sadness and resentments” caused by the event for the sake of “reconciliation and healing”.
Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, in an article published on Friday in Catholic newspaper the Sunday Examiner, also reminded readers that “to forgive is not to forget”, though he did not explicitly mention the June 4 incident.
Seven suspects were taken into custody for allegedly publishing seditious materials linked to the crackdown, with the aim of inciting hatred of the local and central governments. One remains in remand in the Tai Lam Centre for Women, while six others were earlier released on bail.
“I would like to say something that conveys sadness and hope, coexisting in the life-sapping event that took place 35 years ago in the capital city,” Chow wrote, saying the June 4 crackdown continued to disturb many even as others wanted it “to be settled”.
The incident “left a deep wound in parts of our psyche, though it has been buried and scarred over. Yet it remains a sore spot that requires proper attention for healing”.
