Pope Leo XIV urges journalists to be “peace operators” by encouraging them to seek the truth with love and saying “no” to the “war of words and images”.
“We must reject the paradigm of war,” he said in his address to media representatives from around the world during the meeting in the Paul VI Hall.
Citing Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount,” Prevost called on reporters to “commit to promoting a different form of communication, one that does not seek consensus at all costs, does not use aggressive language, does not embrace a competitive model, and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we humbly seek it. Peace begins with each of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others, talk about others; and, in this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance”.
During the meeting with journalists from around the world, Pope Leo XIV reiterated “the Church’s solidarity with journalists imprisoned for seeking and reporting the truth” calling for their “release”.
“The Church recognizes in these witnesses – 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 people can make free choices – he said. The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious good of freedom of expression and the press”.
Faced with the “immense potential” of artificial intelligence, we must exercise “responsibility and discernment to guide these tools for the good of all, so that they can produce benefits for humanity.” Pope Leo XIV said this when meeting journalists in the Paul VI Hall.
“And this responsibility – he added – concerns everyone, in proportion to age and social roles”.
“Let’s disarm our words and we will help disarm the Earth,” said Pope Leo XIV.
“An unarmed and disarming communication – he added – allows us to share a different view of the world and to act consistently with our human dignity. You are at the forefront of narrating conflicts and hopes for peace, situations of injustice and poverty, and the silent work of many for a better world. That is why I ask you to consciously and courageously choose the path of communication for peace”.
“We live in difficult times to navigate and narrate, which pose a challenge for all of us and which we must not run away from. On the contrary, they ask each one of us, in our different roles and services, to never give in to mediocrity. The Church must accept the challenge of the times and, in the same way, there cannot be communication and journalism outside of time and history. As Saint Augustine reminds us, saying: ‘Live well and the times will be good. We are the times’.” the Pope then said.
“Thank you, therefore, for what you have done to break free from stereotypes and commonplaces, through which we often read Christian life and the life of the Church – he added -. Thank you, because you have managed to grasp the essence of who we are, and to convey it to the whole world by every means available”.
At the end of the meeting in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Leo XIV also took the time to sign a few autographs for international media representatives, even on a baseball, a sport he has loved since his days in Chicago. Passing by a journalist dressed in white, Prevost even joked about the color coordination by standing next to the reporter in front of the camera.
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