The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., is welcoming a donated picture of Christ crucified drawn by Catholic convert and Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai from prison.
“It is a great honor for us to receive this drawing of the suffering Christ from Jimmy Lai, whose witness to both faith and freedom is unparalleled in our time,” Andrew V. Abela, dean of the Busch School of Business at Catholic University, told Our Sunday Visitor.
The 76-year-old Lai has been imprisoned since 2020. Inspired by his faith, he landed in jail after advocating for democracy and human rights. The clothing and media entrepreneur, perhaps best known for founding the newspaper Apple Daily, faces charges under a new, controversial national security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing.
Citing his faith, he refused to flee.
“If I go away, I not only give up my destiny, I give up God, I give up my religion, I give up what I believe in,” said Lai, who is also a British citizen, during a 2020 interview.
The Biden administration’s State Department, United State senators and Catholic bishops have since voiced support for Lai. Most recently, in January, Lai pleaded not guilty to endangering national security. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Displaying the drawing
Maloney Hall, home to the Busch School of Business, will house the 18″ x 33″ framed art across from Saint Michael the Archangel Chapel at Catholic University. Lai’s drawing will be blessed and dedicated in the hall on Feb. 22.
The picture, drawn on notebook paper with colored pencils, shows Christ crucified, staring into the eyes of the viewer. Surrounded by eight yellow flowers, Christ hangs from a wooden cross with blood streaming from his pierced hands, feet and side.
The picture, dated 2022, is signed “Jimmy Lai,” from Stanley Prison in Hong Kong.
Bill and Julie McGurn, close friends of Lai and Catholic University parents, donated the drawing. Bill, a columnist and editorial board member at The Wall Street Journal, served as Lai’s godfather when he entered the Catholic Church in 1997. His wife, Julie, belongs to Catholic University’s board of trustees. Both advocate for Lai’s freedom.
For the dedication, Catholic University President Peter K. Kilpatrick will be present along with University Chaplain Father Aquinas Guilbeau, O.P., who will bless the drawing. Father Robert Sirico, co-founder and president emeritus of the Acton Institute, will also attend after returning from Hong Kong, where he witnessed Lai’s most recent trial for alleged political crimes.
The drawing comes to Catholic University after the school bestowed an honorary degree in absentia on Lai in 2022.
“Jimmy has taken up religious art in prison and has produced many sacred images,” April Ponnuru, a spokesperson for The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, previously told Our Sunday Visitor. “Those who are close to him believe his drawings are a form of prayer, meditations on the suffering of Christ and the willingness of his mother to be used by God.”
