Pope Leo XIV commemorated the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China on May 24 with a call to entrust Chinese Catholics to Mary’s care.

“Let us join our prayers with those of Chinese Catholics, as a sign of our affection for them and of their communion with the universal Church and with the Successor of Peter,” said the pontiff. “May the intercession of the Queen of Heaven grant the believing community in China the grace of unity and give everyone the strength to witness the Gospel in their daily struggles, so that they might be seeds of hope and peace.”

Chinese Canadian Catholic Patrick May is among the multitude of Christians around the world joining the Bishop of Rome in beseeching the Lord to aid believers who experience persecution because of their faith.

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Born in Hong Kong, a teenage May emigrated to Canada in 1979 with his family due to the emerging political instability in the then-crown colony of the United Kingdom, which was handed back to Chinese control in 1997.

May, who attends St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Vancouver, has kept abreast of the daily restrictions and tribulations Chinese Christians face as they seek to steadfastly practise their faith.

“As a Catholic, I'm very dismayed at the increasing persecution of the Church, especially the underground Church in China,” said May. “Bibles are being changed. You worship the (Chinese Communist) Party, and you worship Xi Jinping — you don't worship Jesus.”

He also alluded to how places of worship are under surveillance, and there are multiple provinces — including Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Henan — that forbid anyone under 18 from entering a house of worship. Global Christian persecution watchdog organizations, including Open Doors International and International Christian Concern, have confirmed these repressive realities.

Churches in China are also intensely pressured to register with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPA) or the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and preach doctrine aligned with “Xi Jinping” thought rather than be in communion with Rome. While a Sino-Vatican deal has been in effect since 2018, the accord has been contravened on multiple occasions by the CCPA’s unilateral bishop appointments, bypassing Holy See consultation.

Parallel to May’s concern for all Chinese Christians is his particular worries for Catholic businessman and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai. The 78-year-old was arrested in August 2020 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in February for violating China’s National Security Law (NSL), which criminalizes “secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion." The NSL has been denounced by the international community as a weapon to silence dissent and indict opponents of the CCP.

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“I’ve always known about Jimmy Lai,” said May. “He's always been a very colourful businessman, but I think his conversion to the Catholic faith really did change him. And I think that is what's giving him strength to withstand the treatment he's receiving in prison at this moment. His faith is what's keeping him going. That’s really important to know. Sadly, as a Catholic, he is even more outspoken than many of the clergy in Hong Kong because they pretty much have to swear loyalty to that patriotic association.”

May observed the recent May 13-15 summit between Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump with interest because there was anticipation beforehand that the latter would advocate for Lai’s release.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One on the way back to the U.S. that he did address Lai with Xi.

“I did bring it up, but it’s a tougher one for him,” said Trump. “He said Jimmy Lai is a ‘tough one’ for him.”

Lai’s daughter maintains faith in the aftermath of the summit that Trump’s White House will ultimately free her father from solitary confinement and bondage.

“He has earned his reputation as liberating the unjustly detained, and I am confident he and his administration will be the ones to free my father,” Claire Lai told media.

May expressed faith in Lai one day experiencing freedom, but now hypothesizes that this decision would not be compelled by the Trump-Xi face-to-face.

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“I think if they were to eventually do something, they don't want there to be a linkage between this summit and the release of Jimmy Lai,” said May. “I think what may happen, really, it's only my guess, is that they may say, ‘oh, he's in poor health, let's kick him out of the city and let him get treatment.' That would be the best-case scenario for me.”

What instills May with hope and confidence amid the persecution of Christians in China and many other nations around the world is the knowledge that “faith has to trump everything” and “the Church and Jesus will prevail at the end.”