Pope Leo XIV, in his first address to the media on Monday, urged journalists to focus on reporting the truth instead of engaging in partisan debates and called for the release of reporters jailed for doing their jobs.
“The way we communicate is of fundamental importance: we must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images; we must reject the paradigm of war,” Leo told thousands of journalists who covered his election and the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis.
He also advocated for jailed journalists, who, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, numbered 361 at the end of last year.
“The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and the press,” said the pope.
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, is the first pope born in the U.S. He was elected as the new Catholic pontiff on May 8 and is a relatively unknown figure on the global stage, spending most of his career as a missionary in Peru.
The pontiff also told the journalists they must act responsibly in using artificial intelligence in their work, asking them to “ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity.”
“Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred, let us free it from aggression,” said the pope.
Monday’s meeting was Leo’s first audience with many people at the Vatican. Reporters greeted him with applause as he entered the Vatican’s large audience hall.
