Today, in the audience with communication professionals at the Paul VI Hall, Pope Leo XIV urges to say “no to the war of words and images”, to “never give in to mediocrity”, and to create “spaces for dialogue and discussion”. The invitation is also to carry on “the service to truth” with a communication that is “not forceful, but capable of listening”. Solidarity with journalists in prison and a reminder of freedom of expression and of the press.
By: Isabella Piro – Vatican News
Publication Date:
It is a profound treatise of professional ethics that Pope Leo XIV outlines for communication professionals from around the world, gathered this morning, May 12, in the Paul VI Hall. About three thousand faces and voices from every corner of the globe smile and applaud the entrance of the Pontiff, welcomed by a thunderous applause. His speech is punctuated by many claps from those present, aware of the sense of responsibility that each journalist is called to embrace to carry on “the service to truth” and peace. The commitment outlined by the Pontiff is clear:
Carry on a different communication, one that does not seek consensus at all costs, does not use aggressive words, does not endorse the model of competition, and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we humbly must seek it.
Say no to the war of words and images
The way we communicate, Pope Leo XIV reiterates, is of “fundamental importance”:
We must say “no” to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war.
Free imprisoned journalists and protect press freedom
Hence, the Pontiff’s thoughts go to all imprisoned journalists whose release he calls for: they are courageous witnesses, he emphasizes, who defend “the dignity, justice, and the right of peoples to be informed, because only informed people can make free choices”:
The suffering of these imprisoned journalists calls into question the conscience of Nations and the international community, reminding all of us to safeguard the precious good of freedom of expression and of the press.
Tell the beauty of Christ’s love
Pope Prevost then reflects on the recent times: from the rites of Holy Week to the death of Pope Francis “which occurred in the light of Easter” to the “challenging days” of the Conclave. In all these events, the Pontiff emphasizes, communication professionals have “managed to narrate the beauty of Christ’s love that unites us all and makes us one people, guided by the Good Shepherd.”
Never give in to mediocrity, communication creates culture
The challenge, then, in “difficult times to travel and to tell”, is to “never give in to mediocrity”, to move away “from stereotypes and clichés” through which we tend to read the Christian life and the Church.
Today, one of the most important challenges is to promote communication capable of taking us out of the “Tower of Babel” in which we sometimes find ourselves, out of the confusion of languages without love, often ideological or partisan. (…) Communication, in fact, is not just the transmission of information, but the creation of a culture, of human and digital environments that become spaces for dialogue and discussion.
The challenge of artificial intelligence
Pope Leo XIV also looks at artificial intelligence, its “immense potential” which requires, however, “responsibility and discernment” so that it truly benefits all of humanity.
Disarm communication from hatred and prejudice
Repeating Pope Francis’ invitation, contained in his latest message for the World Day of Social Communications 2025, Pope Leo XIV reiterates:
Let us disarm communication of all prejudice, resentment, fanaticism, and hatred; let us purify it from aggressiveness. A noisy, forceful communication is not needed, but rather a communication capable of listening, of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice. Let us disarm words and we will contribute to disarming the Earth.
For a disarmed and disarming communication
“A disarmed and disarming communication,” the Bishop of Rome emphasizes, “allows us to share a different view of the world and to act consistently with our human dignity”. And it is for this reason, he concludes, that we must “choose consciously and courageously the path of communication for peace.” At the end of the meeting, Pope Leo XIV blessed those present, saying: “Thank you very much!”
Handshakes and farewells
Finally, approaching the front rows of the participants, he greeted in particular the prefect and the secretary of the Dicastery for Communication, Paolo Ruffini and Monsignor Lucio Ádrian Ruiz, along with the directors of the same organization and the heads and members of other media outlets.
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