Pope Leo XIV used his first audience with the press on Monday to call on journalists to help cool the stormy language of today’s media landscape, while he was renewing his calls to a more peaceful world.
Echoing some thoughts of his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo called for the use of moderate language to present facts in the world.
“Let us disarm the communication of all prejudices and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred; we free him from the assault,” Leo told more than 1,000 journalists, including the Vatican Press Corps, who gathered in an auditorium in the city of the Vatican on Monday. “We do not need noisy and energetic communication but rather communication capable of listening,” he added, delivering his address in Italian.
In words likely to earn him points with his audience, he also talked about the need for people to be informed in order to make good decisions and “the precious gift of freedom of expression and the press”.
The newly elected pope went on stage to a delighted ovation on the part of media members, some of whom will continue to report on his papacy, and some who have stolen to spend days and weeks to realize the death and funeral of Francis, as well as the conclave which elected Leon. The address of Leo, a papal tradition, was often interrupted by applause.
The last five popes held the public with the media in the first days of their papacy. The event reflects recognition by the Vatican of the value of public communication and his desire to have a good relationship with the information media which reports them.
Leo, the first American pope to direct the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.4 billion faithful, spent the first days of its papacy committing to align with “ordinary people”, while denouncing aggression and conflicts. While the Vatican observers ensure clues about how he plans to lead, Leo spoke of Francis, who spoke tirelessly for the marginalized, already several times. He did it again on Monday.
In his remarks, which lasted about 10 minutes, Leo also called for the release of journalists who had been imprisoned for their work. At least 550 journalists were detained around the world in December 2024, according to Journalists Without BordersA non -partisan organization that works to protect journalists.
Leo said the Church considered journalists imprisoned as witnesses. “I think of those who report on war, even at the cost of their lives-the courage of those who defend dignity, justice and the right of people to be informed, because only informed individuals can make free choices,” he said.
“The suffering of these imprisoned journalists calls into question the conscience of nations and the international community, calling us all to protect the precious gift of freedom of expression and the press,” he said.
He also mentioned the challenges of social media and artificial intelligence, a problem he has already highlighted.
He started with an impromptu joke in English, in which he thanked the journalists for their applause, but hoped that they would not fall asleep during his remarks. After finishing speaking, he went down the marble steps of the scene and shakes the hand of civil servants and journalists, exchanging a few words and signing autographs.
The pope, who was born in Chicago, signed a baseball that someone held out. A woman in the line also asked Leo a selfie – a situation that few of his predecessors were confronted during their first media outing. He politely declined, shook his hand and left.
