Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 31, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA).
Author Mark L. Clifford discussed the role faith has played in the life of imprisoned pro-democracy Catholic activist Jimmy Lai at a Catholic University of America event on Jan. 30 in Washington, D.C.
“The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong’s Greatest Dissident, and China’s Most Feared Critic” is an account of Lai’s rags to riches story, his resistance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and his arrest in 2020 following the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
In a presentation sponsored by the Institute for Human Ecology, Clifford, who is president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, said that Lai’s faith has helped him endure years of unjust punishment.
Born in mainland China, Lai escaped to Hong Kong at the age of 12, where he eventually became a successful factory owner and retailer. After the Tiananmen Square protest and massacre of 1989, he founded a media business advocating for democracy through his newspaper Apple Daily.
He was arrested on Aug. 10, 2020, during a raid of his newspaper’s offices.
“I think people need to understand the power of what one person can do and the power of having values and sticking to them. Jimmy is uniquely frightening to the CCP because he actually believes in something,” Clifford said.
“That gives him a power and a confidence that is more than his business success. He has money, he has a media megaphone, and he has values. I think it’s his values above all that are the tyrannical government’’s fear, because you can’t take away somebody’s values,” he continued.
Clifford spoke about Lai’s Catholic faith — Lai converted in 1998 — and answered questions about how prison has strengthened his trust in God, even while being denied the sacraments.
“It’s a big element of my book, and yet, interestingly, most people don’t really understand how important it is to Jimmy,” he said. “Jimmy has been in solitary most of these four-plus years. Next Friday, it will be 1,500 days. You think about what faith and what fortitude you need.”
Asked by a student if the Vatican has been involved in the mission to free Lai, Clifford called the Church’s response “disappointing.”
“I just think there’s an insufficient appreciation on the part of the Vatican for the danger that China poses to the world and to the Catholic Church,” he added.
“I honestly think the best way we can help is to use the media, we can have demonstrations. The most effective way is through government action. We’re delighted that we heard President Trump’s commitment to freeing Jimmy Lai,” he said.
Clifford discussed the urgency of the matter, as Lai’s health is declining in prison.
“Solitary confinement is considered a form of torture for more than 15 days. Four and a half years, mostly in solitary. He doesn’t get any sunlight. There’s no air conditioning. He’s basically sleeping on straw. So very, very tough on his skin and on his body. I think everybody’s really concerned,” he said.
“He doesn’t want to die in jail. He wants to be out tomorrow. He’d like to leave Hong Kong and spend the rest of his time with his family. But if he has to die in prison, he will die there. Of course, we really hope it doesn’t come to that,” Clifford concluded.
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