Pope Leo’s Silence on Jimmy Lai’s 20-Year Sentence Raises Global Eyebrows: A Closer Look

Pope Leo XIV has refrained from commenting on the recent 20-year prison sentence handed down to a democracy activist in Hong Kong.

In an interview with EWTN News, a global Catholic news outlet, Pope Leo, who was born in the United States, stated, “I can’t comment” when asked about the high-profile case. Speaking from Italy, he added, “Let’s pray for less hatred and more peace and work for authentic dialogue. God bless you all.”

The case involves Jimmy Lai, a prominent Hong Kong publisher and democracy advocate who has embraced Catholicism. Lai was sentenced last month by Beijing under the 2020 national security law, a move that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has labeled “unjust and tragic.”

The Pope’s decision to withhold comment highlights the sensitive nature of the situation, as global leaders continue to express their views on Lai’s imprisonment.

Pope Leo XIV this week said he “can’t” comment on the 20-year sentence imposed on a democracy activist in Hong Kong.  (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images; Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

“The conviction shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong,” Rubio said in a statement. “The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole.”

The 78-year-old founded the now-closed Hong Kong-based Apple Daily in 1995, while the island was still under British rule. 

Lai’s sentence closed one of the country’s most consequential national security cases since Beijing imposed the sweeping new law in 2020 after months-long anti-Chinese Communist Party protests in 2019, which were sparked by fears Beijing was eroding Hong Kong’s promised autonomy. 

Lai has been in custody since 2020.  (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

They were followed by a sweeping security crackdown that criminalized dissent and reshaped the city’s legal system.

Lai was arrested several times during the 2019 protests, and he was detained at his home in 2020. His newspaper was also raided at the time and closed. 

He was found guilty in December of attempting to undermine national security. 

Jimmy Lai supporters in Los Angeles last month.  (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump said in December he had personally urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to release Lai. 

“I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release,” Trump said. “He’s not well. He’s an older man, and he’s not well, so I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens.”

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