Around 8,000 journalists from all over the world were accredited to cover the conclave. Now, with a 'near' return to normal, Pope Leo XIV wanted his first public meeting to be with them.
His message was clear and direct. He called for the freedom of the press. He made this strong appeal.
LEO XIV
“Allow me to once again express the Church's solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for trying to tell the truth.”
“And with these words, I also call for the release of these imprisoned journalists.”
In addition, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of understanding the words that people use and their meaning when communicating, so as to not fall into oversimplification.
LEO XIV
“Today, one of the most important challenges is to promote communication that can take us out of the 'Tower of Babel' in which we sometimes find ourselves—a confusion of languages without love, often ideological or sectarian.”
The Pope also called for peaceful communication and urged journalists to offer a different vision of the world –- a vision consistent with human dignity.
LEO XIV
“We do not need loud and aggressive communication, but rather communication that knows how to listen—how to gather the voices of the weak who have no voice. Let us disarm words…Let us disarm words and we will help to disarm the world.”
At the end of the audience, journalists told the Pope that the press is not an enemy, but an ally.
To which Pope Leo replied:
“That’s because we both seek the truth.”
CA
Trans. CRT
