Pope Leo XIV used his first audience along with the news outlet on Monday to appeal to journalists to help cool the warm language of today's media landscape.
As Leo supported the Free Press to enable informed decisions and updated his call for a more peaceful world, the comments once again repeated some of the themes highlighted by his predecessor, Pope Francis.
“Disarm communication with all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred. Let's release it from the attack,” Leo told more than 1,000 journalists, including the Vatican press squadron gathered in the auditorium. “We don't need loud and powerful communication, we need communication that we can hear,” he added, delivering the address in Italian.
In comments that are likely to score his points alongside the audience, Leo spoke about the need for people to be notified to make healthy decisions and “free speech and the valuable gift of the media.”
Leo took the stage with a passionate ovation from members of the news media. Some of them report to his Pope and others in Rome to cover Francis' death and funeral, as well as Conclave, who elected the new Pope.
Leo's speeches to the news media, a tradition of the Pope, were frequently interrupted by applause. He started with an improvised banter in English. I would like to thank the journalists for the applause, but I hoped they wouldn't fall asleep during their remarks.
The last five popes have an audience in the media early on in their breast hair. Leo, the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.4 billion followers, spent his first day pledging the Pope to condemn “normal people” and attacks and conflict. Just as Vatican observers see clues as to how he leads, Leo recalls Francis, who has already spoken without fatigue several times for the marginalized. He did that again on Monday.
In a statement from the Pope that lasted about ten minutes, Leo called for the release of journalists who were jailed for their work. At least 550 journalists were detained worldwide in December 2024, according to a reporter with no borders, a nonpartisan organization that works to protect journalists.
Leo said the church saw imprisoned journalists as witnesses. “I think of people reporting war at the expense of their lives, because the courage of those who defend their dignity, justice and the right to be notified is only available to the individual who is notified to make a free choice,” he said.
“The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the consciences of the nation and the international community, calling on us all to protect the precious gifts of freedom of speech and the press,” he said.
Leo also mentioned the challenges posed by social media and artificial intelligence. This is an issue he has highlighted previously.
After he finished speaking, the Pope went down the marble stairs from the stage, shaking hands with staff and journalists, exchanging several words and signing the sign.
Born in Chicago, Leo signed a baseball someone handed him over. A woman from the line asked him for a selfie. Some of his predecessors would have been faced with their first media outings. He politely refused, waved and proceeded.
Leo's early days of the Pope Council included clues as to how closely he aligns with the agenda set by his predecessor. He speaks of the need to continue the dialogue between church leaders and lay people, the cornerstone of Francis' pope.
And on Monday he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodimia Zelensky, the president wrote on social media.
Francis often discussed the war and sought peace in Ukraine, but some Ukrainians criticized him, saying he initially did not clearly identify Russia as an invader.
In his first Sunday blessing as Pope, Leo sought authentic, fair and lasting peace within the country, as well as the release of prisoners.
Zelensky said he sought the help of the Pope to ensure the return of thousands of Ukrainian children who have been illegally deported to Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The International Criminal Court announced in March 2023 that it had issued a warrant for President Vladimir V. Putin and senior officials of Russian war crimes in connection with the deportation. Russia defends the shifting of children to humane grounds.
Zelensky said the Ukrainian Pope had informed the Pope of his willingness to start a 30-day ceasefire soon, and that Kiev's government repeatedly engaged in direct negotiations with Russia, and invited Leo to visit his country.
