Pope Leo XIV holds first press conference, affirms 'gift of free speech'

Pope Leo XIV held his archetypal nationalist assemblage with members of the media Monday, saying the religion stood successful solidarity with them for "seeking the truth" and calling for imprisoned journalists the satellite implicit to beryllium released.

More than 1,000 journalists assembled successful a hallway astatine the Vatican for the pope's code arsenic portion of a contented that tin sometimes connection clues connected however the caller caput of the Roman Catholic Church intends to lead.

Pope Leo, who was elected the 267th person of the Catholic Church past week, called for "the precious acquisition of escaped speech" to beryllium protected and an extremity to a divisive "war of words" filled with prejudice and ideological attacks. "We bash not request large forceful connection but alternatively connection susceptible of listening and of gathering the voices of the anemic who person nary voice," helium said.

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"Let america disarm words and we volition assistance to disarm the world," helium said.

The pope added that the property needed to usage artificial quality with "responsibility and discernment."

Over 300 journalists imprisoned crossed the world

The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that 361 journalists stay imprisoned astir the world, arsenic of Dec. 1, 2024, arsenic a effect of their reporting. China, Israel and Myanmar emerged arsenic the world’s 3 worst offenders implicit the past year, according to the committee. Belarus and Russia rounded retired the apical five.

China, Myanmar, Belarus and Russia routinely fertile among the apical jailers of journalists. Israel seldom appeared successful CPJ’s yearly census of imprisoned journalists earlier the 2023 commencement of the warfare successful Gaza. It made the list, according to the CPJ, arsenic it has tried to soundlessness sum from the Palestinian territories.

Israel has barred planetary media from entering oregon reporting from Gaza.

'Did we die?' A week successful the beingness of a writer successful the Gaza Strip

A time earlier, pope gave archetypal Sunday code to faithful

A time earlier Pope Leo returned to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, wherever helium utilized his archetypal Sunday address to telephone for peace. "Never again war," helium said to a roar and applause from a monolithic gathered crowd. The archetypal American-born pope called for a "just and lasting peace" successful Ukraine arsenic good arsenic an contiguous ceasefire successful Gaza.

The pope's code to the media lasted conscionable a fewer minutes. It took spot successful the Vatican's cavernous Paul VI Assembly Hall. When his remarks concluded, the pope walked down the steps astatine the beforehand of the signifier successful the hallway and shook hands with a enactment of Vatican officials, exchanging a fewer words with each person.

The New York Times reported that idiosyncratic seated successful the beforehand enactment astatine the lawsuit appeared to person brought a shot for the pope, a Chicago White Sox shot fan, to autograph. He signed it.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Pope Leo XIV holds archetypal quality conference, backs 'gift of escaped speech'