Pope Leo XIV used his first audience with the press on Monday to address journalists to help cool the heated language of today’s media landscape, while renewing his calls for a more peaceful world.
Following some thoughts from his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo called for the use of moderate language when presenting facts to the world.
“Let’s disarm the communication of all prejudices and resentments, fanaticism and even hatred; let’s free aggression,” said Leo more than 1,000 journalists, including the Vatican press corps, who collected in an auditorium in Vatican City on Monday. “We don’t need any loud, powerful communication, but rather communication that is able to listen,” he added and delivers his address in Italian.
In words that would probably win him with his audience, he also spoke about the need for people to be informed to make decent decisions and about ‘the precious gift of freedom of expression and the press’.
The newly chosen Pope recorded the stage for a delicious ovation of members of the news media, some of whom will continue to report about his papacy, and some who invaded to spend days and weeks about the death and funeral of Francis, as well as the conclave that chosen Leo. The address of Leo, a papal tradition, was often interrupted by applause.
Have kept the last five popes audience With the media in the first days of their papacy. The event reflects the recognition of the Vatican of the value of public communication and the desire to have a good relationship with the news media that reports about it.
Leo, the first American pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church and the 1.4 billion believers, has the first days His papacy promises to tune into ‘ordinary people’, while he falls out of aggression and conflicts. While Vatican observers are paying attention to indications of how he is planning to lead, Leo Francis has summoned, who spoke out tirelessly For the marginalized, several times. He did this again on Monday.
In his comments, which lasted about 10 minutes, Leo also called for the release of journalists who were imprisoned for their work. According to at least 550 journalists, in December 2024 were held all over the world, according to Reporters without bordersA non -party -related organization that works to protect journalists.
Leo said that the church considered prisoners of journalists as witnesses. “I think of those who report about war, even at the expense 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 captured journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community and calls us all to protect the precious gift from the freedom of expression and the press,” he said.
He also mentioned the challenges of social media and artificial intelligence, a matter he already has marked.
He started with a spontaneous joke in English, in which he thanked journalists for their applause, but hoped they would not fall asleep during his comments. After he finished speaking, he descended the marble stairs from the stage and shook his hand with officials and some journalists, exchanged a few words and signed signatures.
The pope, born in Chicago, drew a baseball that someone kept him. A woman in line also asked Leo for a selfie – a situation that would have confronted little of his predecessors in their first media outing. He refused politely, shook her hand and went on.
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