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May 6:
An unprecedented statement regarding the June 4, 1989
massacre at Tiananmen Square was released today by more
than 80 Chinese Christian leaders calling for
forgiveness, repentance, truth, justice and
reconciliation. The majority of the signatories were
directly involved with the students' movement, and
suffered severe repercussions at the hands of
authorities for their participation. In the aftermath of
the massacre, the failure of the movement and in their
search for truth, these leaders found reality and hope
in Jesus Christ.
In their statement, the Christian leaders articulate how
the massacre "awakened our sense of social justice as
intellectuals... and shattered our dreams of utopia on
earth." Through this crisis, they saw they were not
"entirely innocent bystanders of the sins and tragedy."
The manifesto declares, "in terms of this sinful nature,
we are not fundamentally different from the decision
makers, commanders or transactors of the massacre,"
except for encountering the grace and forgiveness of
God. The declaration calls on all Chinese Christians to
seek reconciliation on the basis that truth must be
revealed and justice done. The declaration lists
specific actions including confessing the sins of
silence and hypocrisy; revealing the truth; helping
those still suffering as a result of this tragedy and
praying for Chinese authorities. The signatories also
urge Chinese authorities to investigate the massacre;
fully disclose the truth; find the perpetrators;
commemorate the massacre and compensate and care for t
he victims' families.
The Tiananmen Square Massacre, known in China as the
"June 4th Incident," was the tragic end to a movement of
students and intellectuals calling for free media and
formal dialogue between authorities and student-elected
representatives. Between April 15 and June 4,
approximately 100,000 Chinese citizens, the majority of
whom were university students, led peaceful protests in
Beijing's famous Tiananmen Square. On June 4, the
Chinese government sent in armored tanks and, as the
world watched, killed hundreds of the demonstrators.
According to the Chinese government, the official death
toll was 200-300. However, the Chinese Red Cross
estimated that the actual deaths were between 2,000 and
3,000. More than 10,000 Chinese citizens from all over
China who were involved in the movement were sentenced
to death by the government as retribution. June 4, 2009
will mark the 20th anniversary of the massacre.
Bob Fu, president and founder of ChinaAid, was one of
the student leaders in the Tiananmen Square movement.
"The fact that this tragic massacre happened 20 years
ago and is still not allowed to be commemorated in China
by the Chinese government, should remind the
international community that the road toward true
freedom for the Chinese people is not an easy one," Bob
Fu stated. "We are encouraged that the persecuted
Chinese church and church leaders are awakened to repent
for their silence regarding the massacre and to move
forward toward true justice and reconciliation.”
The declaration also issues a call to all Chinese
Christian churches, within China and overseas, to pray
between May 12 - the anniversary of the Sichuan
Earthquake and June 4 - the anniversary of the massacre.
They urge churches to make May 12 and June 4 "Pray for
China" days and to hold special prayer meetings during
that time.
ChinaAid calls on the international community to stand
with the signatories of the declaration by joining them
in prayer and action for true reconciliation.
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