Pope Francis received a delegation from the Hong Kong Christian Council and prayed for Christian Unity together with the members of the delegation. The Hong Kong Christian Council is a Protestant Christian ecumenical organization founded in 1954 and is a member of the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia. The Pope expressed his joy to see Christians united in faith and emphasized the importance of working together and praying for unity. He mentioned the late Orthodox Bishop Zizioulas and the late Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras I, who both emphasized the need for dialogue and collaboration among theologians. The Pope also highlighted the reality of enemies and persecution faced by the Church throughout history. He referred to the martyrdom of faith and the Baptism of blood, acknowledging the sacrifices made by Christians who have given their lives for their faith. Pope Francis concluded the meeting by inviting those present to join him in the Lord's Prayer.
In a separate event, the Sydney Uniting Church hosted a prayer meeting at Ashfield Church in Sydney to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 1989 Chinese Democracy Movement and the 5th anniversary of the 2019 Hong Kong protests. The prayer meeting was held on May 26, 2024, and was organized by Pastor Bill Crews, who has been holding prayer meetings for 35 years to remember the victims of the Tiananmen Massacre. The event was attended by various groups and individuals, including Chinese democracy activists, Falun Gong members, Hong Kong protest groups, Tibetan representatives, and international students from China. Dawa Sangmo, the Chinese Liaison Officer of the Tibet Information Office, spoke about the repression and discrimination faced by Tibetans under Chinese rule and highlighted the Dalai Lama's promotion of harmonious relations among different religions. Feng Chongyi, a Chinese studies scholar, emphasized the universal value of fighting for freedom and human rights [5e017c6d].
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese has canceled a vigil in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown for the third consecutive year. The Diocese instead held a prayer to pray for the Catholic church in China and the country itself more than a week ago. Cardinal Stephen Chow wrote a prayer calling for 'forgiveness' ahead of the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. The Diocese canceled the June 4 mass in 2022, citing concerns over a potential breach of the Beijing-imposed national security law. Cardinal Chow said only through forgiveness would people be able to heal from the events that took place '35 years ago in the capital city' [e3182a36].