Prison

In the final leg of his apostolic journey to Africa, Pope Leo XIV struck a more measured tone.

Belarus’s foremost Catholic dissident has urged Church leaders not to ignore the plight of his country’s political prisoners amid a continuing crackdown on religious freedoms.

In a totally unsurprising move, the pope made a surprise visit to Rome’s Regina Coeli prison despite still recovering from severe double pneumonia. 

“Following today’s sentencing, we will rapidly engage further on Mr. Lai’s case,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said. 

Dressed in rose vestments for Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, the pope celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 15 for the Jubilee of Prisoners.

“We honor two journalists whose courage shines as a beacon for all who refuse to be silenced,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said.

The traditional justice system focuses on the laws that have been broken, while restorative justice centers on those who have been harmed, said Jayna Hoffacker.

The lay Catholic, a major figure in the church’s post-communist revival, remains in a penal colony, deprived of sacraments and any spiritual support.

After a year of pro-democracy protests in 2019, China in 2020 imposed the national security law, which has all but silenced dissent in Hong Kong, AP reported.

While he did not celebrate Mass or wash the feet of inmates, Pope Francis made his customary Holy Thursday visit to a detention facility on April 17.