Pope Leo XIV calls for the release of jailed journalists

Pope Leo XIV, elected on 8 May 2025 following the death of Francis on 21 April, devoted his first public audience, on 12 May, to the thousands of accredited journalists who covered the conclave. The American-born Robert Francis Prevost, the first pontiff born in the United States, expressed the Church’s solidarity with journalists imprisoned “for having sought and told the truth” and called for their release.

Leo XIV called for “disarmed and disarming” communication that rejects the logic of confrontation, and highlighted journalism’s responsibility in the face of artificial intelligence and disinformation.

Press-freedom organizations welcomed the message at a time when the number of jailed journalists worldwide remains near historic highs.

Source: Holy See.