“There’s no more war,” Pope Leo XIV says in his first Sunday message
Pope Leo XIV addressed the crammed square of St. Peter, reflecting his predecessor, Pope Francis’ repeated theme, an urgent plea for peace.
Pope Leo XIV served as the first public audience along with media members on Monday, saying the church was standing in solidarity with them “in search for the truth,” calling for imprisoned journalists to be released around the world.
More than 1,000 journalists gathered in the Vatican hall for a pontiff speech as part of a tradition that could provide clues about how the new head of the Roman Catholic Church is about to lead.
Pope Leo, who was elected last week as the 267th leader of the Catholic Church, sought “the precious gift of freedom of speech” that would end the end of a divisive “war of words” filled with prejudice and ideological attacks. “We don’t need loud and powerful communication, but rather communication that allows us to hear and gather the voices of the vulnerable, who have no voice,” he said.
“We’ll disarm the words. We’ll help disarm the world,” he said.
The Pope added that news outlets need to use artificial intelligence in “responsibility and identification.”
Over 300 journalists have been jailed all over the world
The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that as of December 1, 2024, 361 journalists remained in jail worldwide as a result of reports. China, Israel and Myanmar emerged as the three worst criminals in the world last year, according to the committee. Belarus and Russia rounded out the top five.
China, Myanmar, Belarus and Russia are routinely ranked as top journalist jailers. Israel rarely appeared in the annual census of CPJ imprisoned journalists prior to the start of the 2023 war in Gaza. According to the CPJ, it created the list because it sought to silence coverage from Palestinian territory.
Israel has banned international media from entering or reporting from Gaza.
A day ago, the Pope gave his first Sunday speech to his followers
A day ago Pope Leo returned to the balcony of St. Peter’s Cathedral, where he used his first Sunday speech to seek peace. “Never again war,” he said roars and applause from the massive crowd. The first American-born pope called for a “fair and lasting peace” in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The Pope’s speech to the media lasted only a few minutes. It was carried out in the spongy pole VI assembly hall of the Vatican. When his remarks came to conclusion, the Pope walked down the stairs in front of the hall stage, shaking hands with the lines of Vatican officials, exchanging several words with each and every one.
The New York Times reported that people sitting in the front row at the event appeared to have brought baseball for the Pope, a Chicago White Sox baseball fan. He signed it.
