VATICAN CITY — In an audience on Monday, May 12, with media professionals gathered in Rome to cover the papal conclave, Pope Leo XIV thanked journalists for their tireless efforts, especially over the past few weeks, saying this is “truly a time of grace for the Church.”
Members of the media filled the lower half of the Paul VI Hall, located behind St. Peter’s Basilica. A typically boisterous crowd when gathered, the journalists quickly quieted to a whisper as two, colorfully clad members of the papal Swiss Guards entered, one from each side of the stage to take their posts.
A few minutes later, a smiling Pope Leo entered from the left with no introduction and waving to rousing cheers and applause, one attendee shouting out “Viva Papa!”
“Good morning and thank you for this wonderful reception! They say when they clap at the beginning it does not matter much, if you are still awake at the end and you still want to applaud…thank you very much!” the pontiff said, in his only public English remarks of the audience, with the rest delivered in Italian.
“Thank you, dear friends, for your service to the truth. You have been in Rome these past few weeks to report on the Church, its diversity and, at the same time, its unity. You were present during the liturgies of Holy Week and then reported on the sorrow felt over the death of Pope Francis, which nevertheless took place in the light of Easter. That same Easter faith drew us into the spirit of the Conclave, during which you worked long and tiring days. Yet, even on this occasion, you managed to recount the beauty of Christ’s love that unites and makes us one people, guided by the Good Shepherd.”
Turning to world affairs, he referenced the Beatitude, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” noting it’s one that challenges us all, but has particular relevance for journalists, calling each one of them to strive for a different kind of communication.
“One that does not seek consensus at all costs, does not use aggressive words, does not follow the culture of competition and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it,” Pope Leo XIV said.
“Peace begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others. In this sense, 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.”
The pope also reiterated the Church’s solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for seeking to report the truth and called for the release of these imprisoned journalists.
“The Church recognizes in these witnesses – I am thinking 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,” Pope Leo XIV said.
He explained that the suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenged the conscience of nations and the international community and called upon everyone to safeguard “the precious gift of free speech and of the press.”
He said that today, one of the most important challenges is to promote communication that can bring us out of the “Tower of Babel” in which we sometimes find ourselves, out of the confusion of loveless languages that are often ideological or partisan.
“Therefore, your service, with the words you use and the style you adopt, is crucial,” he said. “As you know, communication is not only the transmission of information, but it is also the creation of a culture, of human and digital environments that become spaces for dialogue and discussion.”
He turned his focus to how technology is developing, making the mission of journalists ever more necessary, with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence, with its immense potential.
He said that this nevertheless requires responsibility and discernment in order to ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity. This responsibility concerns everyone in proportion to his or her age and role in society.”
Journalists are at the forefront of reporting on conflicts and aspirations for peace, on situations of injustice and poverty, and on the silent work of so many people striving to create a better world, he said.
“For this reason, I ask you to choose consciously and courageously the path of communication in favor of peace.”
