Pope Leo XIV held his first public audience with members of the media Monday, saying the church stood in solidarity with them for “seeking the truth” and calling for imprisoned journalists the world over to be released.
More than 1,000 journalists assembled in a hall at the Vatican for the pope’s address as part of a tradition that can sometimes offer clues on how the new head of the Roman Catholic Church intends to lead.
Pope Leo, who was elected the 267th leader of the Catholic Church last week, called for “the precious gift of free speech” to be protected and an end to a divisive “war of words” filled with prejudice and ideological attacks. “We do not need loud forceful communication but rather communication capable of listening and of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice,” he said.
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“Let us disarm words and we will help to disarm the world,” he said.
The pope added that the press needed to use artificial intelligence with “responsibility and discernment.”
Over 300 journalists imprisoned across the world
The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that 361 journalists remain imprisoned around the world, as of Dec. 1, 2024, as a consequence of their reporting. China, Israel and Myanmar emerged as the world’s three worst offenders over the last year, according to the committee. Belarus and Russia rounded out the top five.
China, Myanmar, Belarus and Russia routinely rank among the top jailers of journalists. Israel rarely appeared in CPJ’s annual census of imprisoned journalists before the 2023 start of the war in Gaza. It made the list, according to the CPJ, as it has tried to silence coverage from the Palestinian territories.
Israel has barred international media from entering or reporting from Gaza.
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A day earlier, pope gave first Sunday address to faithful
A day earlier Pope Leo returned to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he used his first Sunday address to call for peace. “Never again war,” he said to a roar and applause from a massive gathered crowd. The first American-born pope called for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine as well as an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The pope’s address to the media lasted just a few minutes. It took place in the Vatican’s cavernous Paul VI Assembly Hall. When his remarks concluded, the pope walked down the steps at the front of the stage in the hall and shook hands with a line of Vatican officials, exchanging a few words with each person.
The New York Times reported that someone seated in the front row at the event appeared to have brought a baseball for the pope, a Chicago White Sox baseball fan, to autograph. He signed it.
