Pope Leo says he 'can't comment' on 20-year sentence of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Claire Lai, daughter of imprisoned Hong Kong pro-Democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, discusses Olympic skier Eileen Gu’s decision to compete for China on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’ Pope Leo XIV this week said he "can’t" comment on the 20-year sentence imposed on a democracy activist in Hong Kong. "I can’t comment," the American-born Leo told EWTN News, which covers Catholic news globally, while speaking to reporters in Italy. "Let’s pray for less hatred and more peace and work for authentic dialogue. God bless you all." Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist Jimmy Lai, who is a converted Catholic, was sentenced to 20 years by Beijing last month for violating its 2020 national security law, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called "unjust and tragic." JIMMY LAI IS RISKING EVERYTHING FOR DEMOCRACY. WE CAN'T IGNORE WHAT CHINA IS DOING Pope Leo XIV