The co-founder of the Catholic California-based Napa Institute this week said Pope Leo XIV clearly supports Jimmy Lai, a perspective that comes amid others’ criticism of the Vatican’s approach to the tense situation with the Chinese Communist Party, which imprisoned the advocate of democracy.
In February, 78-year-old Lai, a husband, father, and journalist, received a 20-year prison sentence from a Hong Kong court at the conclusion of a multi-year trial, which he endured while in a solitary confinement cell. His family has described it as a death sentence.
“His crime? Standing for freedom — and standing up to communism,” Tim Busch of the Napa Institute wrote in a March 17 email to Napa Institute subscribers.
Busch urged readers to pray for Lai and argued that any potential progress in securing Lai’s freedom will likely need U.S. involvement. He then noted that Lai’s wife and their daughter Claire recently had a meeting with Pope Leo.
“That in itself speaks volumes,” Busch wrote. “The Vatican’s relationship with China is delicate and complex, a geopolitical and ecclesial tightrope. Yet the Pope is sending a clear message of support for Jimmy, who chose not to flee Hong Kong and will now likely die for the freedom that springs from faith.”
Others have been more critical of the Vatican’s approach to Lai’s plight. As Zeale News reported, Anne Hendershott, a sociology professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville, argued in an op-ed last month that the Vatican’s “quiet diplomacy” strategy has been ineffective up to this point and should be reevaluated.
“The Holy See has offered no public demand for Mr. Lai’s release, no moral rebuke of Beijing’s crackdown, and no acknowledgment of the suffering of Hong Kong’s Catholics,” Hendershott wrote.
She later wrote, “At this point, quiet diplomacy has become abdication. The Vatican’s secret agreement with Beijing, which has enabled the suppression of underground Catholic communities, seems to have silenced the Holy See’s moral voice.”
Busch’s comment contrasts this criticism and underscores the complexity of the relationship with China that Pope Leo XIV stepped into when he assumed the papal office last year. The Vatican’s provisional agreement with China was last renewed in 2024.
On March 3, Hannah Brockhaus, a Rome-based EWTN reporter, asked Pope Leo about Lai’s sentencing.
Pope Leo responded, “I cannot comment on that.”
The Pontiff added, “Let’s pray for less hatred and more peace. And work for authentic dialogue.”
Lai is a Catholic convert, entrepreneur, media mogul, and former billionaire. Busch described Lai as “a longtime friend of the Napa Institute.” The Napa Institute has previously spiritually supported Lai amid the trial by holding a novena for him, as Zeale News reported. In the email, Busch praised Lai for his witness of fidelity to the faith, his courage, and his commitment to standing for the truth even in harsh persecution and suffering.
Lai’s family has repeatedly warned about the poor conditions of the prison Lai was kept in during the trial and that his health has been strained. In August 2025, Lai appeared in court for final arguments wearing a heart monitor, after he reportedly suffered heart palpitations, as Zeale News reported. Lai’s son Sebastien has also spoken out extensively on behalf of his father, warning about Lai’s lack of access to the sacraments and his urgent health needs in prison.
Sebastien gave a brief, discouraging update this week about his father.
According to the Independent, in a video address to an editors’ conference March 17, Sebastien said, “Recently, we have received some very distressing news about his health.”
Sebastien did not elaborate on the news itself, but said, “The deterioration of his health over the last five years has been heart-breaking to watch.”