Pope ‘cannot comment’ on Jimmy Lai’s imprisonment

CASTEL GANDOLFO, ITALY — Pope Leo XIV told EWTN News he “cannot comment” on Jimmy Lai, the Catholic founder and publisher of the outspoken pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, who was sentenced Feb. 9 on charges Chinese authorities say violate national security laws. The sentence came after his conviction in December, a case his supporters have denounced as a politically driven show trial.Pope Leo XIV met with Laiʼs wife and daughter before the sentencing in October 2025. The pope has not…