Pope Leo XIV met with members of the international press on Monday for the first time since his election, calling on journalists to reject divisive language and instead use communication as a force for peace. “We must say no to the war of words and images; we must reject the paradigm of war,” he said during a gathering at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
Drawing on a message delivered by Pope Francis for the World Day of Social Communications, Leo urged the media to “disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred; let us free it from aggression.” He added: “We do not need loud, forceful communication, but rather communication that is capable of listening and of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice.”
The new pontiff, elected just one week ago, used the occasion to outline the ethical responsibilities shared by both the Church and the media in an age of technological disruption. “We are living in times that are both difficult to navigate and to recount. They present a challenge for all of us, but it is one that we should not run away from. On the contrary, they demand that each one of us, in our different roles and services, never give in to mediocrity,” he said, making a pointed reference to the role of artificial intelligence.
He went on to express strong solidarity with reporters imprisoned around the world. “The Church recognizes 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.”
His remarks came less than 24 hours after a separate appeal calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the war in Ukraine, and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid in conflict zones.
At the end of Monday’s gathering, Leo took time to greet attendees personally, blessing children brought forward by their parents and, in one instance, signing a baseball handed to him by a guest. The gesture drew smiles from the crowd but was unsurprising, given the pope’s well-known support for the Chicago White Sox, the team he followed growing up in Dolton, a working-class suburb just south of Chicago.
Among the reporters who met the pope was NBC News anchor Lester Holt, part of the network’s team covering the early days of the new papacy. Speaking on the “TODAY” show, Holt recounted a brief but memorable exchange with the pontiff.
“At the end of his remarks, he stood up and came down the aisles,” Holt said. “Eventually he got to me, and I asked the question on many people’s minds: ‘What’s the importance of having an American pope?’ And he said to me, ‘You tell me.’”
According to Holt, Leo shared a story suggesting that the election of an American pope may already be prompting some lapsed Catholics to return to the Church. “I don’t think he’ll be heading back to Chicago anytime soon,” Holt added, “but everything we’ve heard from Vatican insiders suggests his focus remains here, on the work ahead.”
Reflecting on the encounter, Holt described it as a career highlight. “He struck me as a man completely at ease, with a self-deprecating sense of humor and a genuine warmth in how he engaged with people,” he said. “There was no rush, no hurry. Just real presence.”
