HONG KONG (UCAN) -- Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong joined about 100 Catholics in praying for religious freedom and democracy in China while commemorating 17 years since the Tiananmen incident.

It was the first time that Cardinal Zen commemorated the events of June 4, 1989, following his elevation to the College of Cardinals in March. He has addressed similar prayer meetings since he became head of the diocese in 2002.

The Union of Hong Kong Catholic Organizations in Support of the Patriotic and Democratic Movement in China organized the prayer meeting, during which Catholics of various ages first viewed a slideshow about what is locally referred to as the June 4 Incident.

Some said they were moved by the young people and others who died in 1989 when Chinese authorities used military force to suppress a student-led protest in Beijing's Tiananmen Square calling for democracy and clean government.

In the sharing that followed, Cardinal Zen observed that people cannot forget the tragedy of 17 years ago, and demand that the Beijing authorities give a clear explanation, especially in accounting for the lives sacrificed.

The urge for democracy and sacrifice, he said, had motivated him to spend six months each year in China educating new religious leaders. He was referring to the time he spent, as a priest, 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."

Following a reading of the parable of the sower from Saint Matthew's Gospel, participants sang the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis and prayed that the Holy Spirit would help sow the seeds of peace and freedom in China, seeds that would bring an abundant harvest. The June 4 memorial activities coincided this year with the Church's celebration of Pentecost.

Participants stuck small crosses onto a big China map to symbolize evangelization all over the country.

Franciscan Father Stephen Chan Moon-hung, ecclesiastical adviser to the diocesan Justice and Peace Commission, said: "Sunshine after rainfall allows the presence of a rainbow. The rainbow has always been a symbol of God's promise. Our prayers will be heard." He and nine other clerics at the prayer meeting gave participants a final blessing.

Father Sergio Arturo Chavira Alvarez, who has taken part in the June 4 commemoration every year since his arrival in 1998, told UCA News, "A strong nation with a responsible leadership should admit and learn from mistakes."

The missioner said the sight of the young man who stopped tanks from approaching Tiananmen Square still impressed him. Media around the world had shown the footage of a single man stopping a column of tanks by standing in front of the lead tank till it ground to a halt.

Deacon Karl Tsang Fan-hing said he was glad to see the continual development of democracy in the country, even though "its speed is slow and does not match people's demand." With the request for freedom and democracy being voiced, the permanent deacon added, the new generation of Chinese leaders will be able to listen to it.

After the prayer meeting, Catholics marched to the local government headquarters nearby, alternating hymns and slogans. Slogans demanded that the Chinese government clearly and publicly account for the June 4 Incident so as to build a democratic nation, that the government implement religious freedom and that it also respect the civil rights of the people.

Aside from asking the local government to pass on their demand to the central government, the Catholic protesters also demanded that Chinese authorities stop harassing Catholics on the mainland and free clerics under surveillance or in detention.

Wong Chi-kai, an official of the Catholic Students' Society of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, told UCA News he was participating in the commemorative event for the first time, to fight for religious freedom.

"Why don't we stand and voice our desires when we have the freedom? We may suffer when we lose it," he said. Wong expressed his respect for Catholics on the mainland for maintaining their strong faith under difficult circumstances.

Since he was only 4 years old when the Tiananmen incident happened, he has only a vague memory from then. But he said he was moved after reading a letter written by Ding Zilin, whose son, then 17, was killed at the square.

A recorded message from Ding, 67, was broadcast during the candlelight vigil this June 4 at Victoria Park, where 44,000 people participated in a territory-wide memorial event run by the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China.

Ding thanked Hong Kong people's perseverance and support throughout the years and said the "Tiananmen Mothers" are always linked with Hong Kong people at the heart level in the pursuit of freedom, democracy and human rights. After 17 years, the families of the young people killed at Tiananmen are still forbidden to openly mourn the death of their children, she said.

Wang Dan, a former Beijing student leader who now lives in exile in the United States, said in another taped speech that he wished "the Chinese people could live with freedom and dignity."

During this year's campaign, the alliance paid special tributes to lawyers who have been helping the families of the Tiananmen victims and fighting against authorities' exploitation of China's legal system.

Alliance vice chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, a Christian, told the rally that the "guardians of human rights" ended up being suppressed and jailed.

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