Taiwan Church News
3504 Edition
April 22 – 28, 2019
Headline News
“Fridays For Future, PCT” Launched In Passion Week To Remember Jesus
Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong
In the afternoon on April 19, a prayer action event, entitled as “Fridays For Future, PCT” calling Taiwan society to attend to the issues of democracy, human rights, environment and peace etc, was launched in the Passion Week at Taipei.
Inspired by a climate change appeal as “Fridays For Future”, raised last year by a Swedish girl – Ms Greta Thunberg, the Passion Week action prayer event launched at Taipei was organized by some PCT members to include several civilian groups, including Taiwan Ecological Stewardship Association, Taiwan Young Greens, Taipei’s Nook Hope for the Disabled, Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan and Rainbow Front To Restore Original Faith And Values.
Following Jesus’ suffering on his way toward the cross, via crucis, 14 stations of the cross were set up at significant and historic sites in Taipei for the prayer participants to parade and commemorate. Starting from the first staion, the Legislative Yuan, people delivered their prayers for Taiwan future and desperate want of a new constitution. Then, at the second station, the Control Yuan – which used to be Taipei district’s administrative headquarter in Japanese era, the assembly prayed for a true world peace that no more invasion between countries.
From the third to fifth station is the side entrance and back door of the Executive Yuan, and the National Policy Agency, people passed through theses sites to remind the government to remember the Sun Flower Movement raised in 2014. The sixth station is Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, which used to be the headquarter of notorious Taiwan Garrison Command and Martial Laws Bureau of Defense Dept in White Terror Era, people went there to express their deep condolence to those victims and their family and pledge never forget their sufferings.
Inviting the assembly to reflect the issues of Taiwan’s democracy, freedom of speech and climate justice, Taipei City Mayor’s Residence, Liberty Square and Central Weather Bureau is also paid visit respectively as the seventh to ninth station. The Monument For White Terror Political Victims, erected before the Presidential Building, 228 Memorial Museum and the 228 Peace Monument was also commemorated sequentially as the tenth to twelfth station to remember those innocent victims under KMT’s brutal massacre and subsequent white terror oppression in Taiwan.
Finally, the assembly of this via crucis prayer event came to the historic street office of Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan(ART), the most strenuous civilian groups fighting for Taiwan Independence, praising their extraordinary efforts to enlighten youth’s vision about Taiwan’s future and indispensable contribution to consolidate the Sun Flower Movement by protecting the student from the clamp down of the police force.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
