Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong blesses Catholics outside Sacred Heart of Jesus cathedral in Guangzhou on April 23 during his visit to Guangdong province in southern China. The Tiananmen Massacre has left a deep wound in our psyche, said the cardinal to mark the 35th anniversary of the pro-democracy protest on June 3. (Photo: File)
Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong has stressed the need for forgiveness as the world marked the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre.
“What happened 35 years ago has left a deep wound in parts of our psyche, though it has been buried and scarred over,” said the cardinal in his “reflection” published in the diocesan weekly the Sunday Examiner.
In the tragic event of June 4, 1989, China’s communist regime used military tanks and guns to crush the students-led democracy protest that began in April of that year and spread to some 400 cities.
Tanks ran over unarmed civilians when the army used brute power to disperse the crowds in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, the epicenter of protests. The death toll continues to be disputed from a few hundred to several thousand.
For decades, Catholics in Hong Kong marked the anniversary with prayers and Masses and joined thousands in the city’s Victoria Park with lighted candles to mark the day until 2020, when Beijing imposed a national security law and banned commemoration of the event.
Hong Kong police on June 3 detained Sanmu Chen, a performance artist, reportedly for reminding people of the anniversary in a public place by allegedly writing on the air the date of the massacre.
The Jesuit cardinal’s May 30 reflection did not mention words like Tiananmen Square, the year of the event, or its date.
He said, “We are once again very near that time of the year. I would like to say something that conveys sadness and hope, co-existing in the life-sapping event that took place 35 years ago in the capital city.”
"No matter how much some might want this event to be settled, it remains unsettling for many… What happened 35 years ago has left a deep wound in parts of our psyche, though it has been buried and scarred over,” he said.
“Yet, it remains a sore spot that requires proper attention for healing… I understand that we must not wait but to move on.”
He explained, however, that “this does not mean I can forget what I saw and felt ever so deeply on that night and the following weeks… My faith, nonetheless, prompts me to forgive whoever and whatever.”
“Maybe it is through forgiveness that the different parties can move beyond finger-pointing and the painful 'I will never forgive' mindset. With forgiveness already available, reconciliation and healing may stand a better chance of becoming a reality,” he said.
He said God’s “forgiveness is always available for those who need it” and “precisely because God’s forgiveness does not require our repentance, we can also learn to forgive proactively.”
“Even though to forgive does not mean to forget, it does offer a precondition for our inner freedom and a brighter future for all,” he said, sharing a prayer to help his Catholics join in prayer.
“In faith and hope, I entrust you, Lord, with the country’s democratic development. You who are forever just and wise” said the prayer in part.
