A group of parliamentarians was recently thwarted in its efforts to see a motion passed in the House of Commons to grant honorary Canadian citizenship to Jimmy Lai, the prominent Catholic political prisoner jailed for his role in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests.
Though essentially a symbolic gesture, it was understood to be an important one taken at the outset of the June 15-17 G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.
The cross-party coalition seeking support for Lai included Liberal MP Judy Sgro, Conservative MPs Tony Baldinelli and Shuvaloy Majumdar, NDP MP Jenny Kwan, Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Senator Pierre Dalphond and Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne.
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If Pope Leo XIV were to refer to Lai publicly it would be a divergence from papal practice since the Sino-Vatican accord on the appointment of bishops was signed in 2018. Though the late Pope Francis spoke of human rights abuses in Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar, he never spoke of China.
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In an email, a spokesperson for Lai’s defense team told the Register, “The Vatican has historically played a very important role in defending human rights around the world, and it could play a very important role in arguing for Mr. Lai's release.”
Vancouver Archbishop Emeritus J. Michael Miller was one of 10 Catholic bishops, including Americans Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron, who signed a 2023 petition demanding the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region “immediately and unconditionally release” Lai. At the time, Miller told the B.C Catholic, “Mr. Lai is a person of faith who is being silenced and imprisoned for his pro-democracy convictions. Justice demands that we speak up for them and give them a voice.”
