Pope Leo XIV called Monday for the release of jailed journalists and urged reporters against using words that fan hatred, as Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky invited him to the war-torn country.Leo, the first US leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, held his introductory audience with journalists at the Vatican four days after being elected pope by cardinals.After using his first address last Thursday to call for peace around the world, Leo returned to the theme on Monday, saying peace began with communications.“Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred, let us free it from aggression,” he said.“Let us disarm words and we will help to disarm the world,” he added.He offered solidarity with journalists “imprisoned for seeking and reporting the truth” and called for them to be freed.The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) media advocacy group welcomed his remarks as a “strong signal” to media professionals the world over.“At a time when 567 media professionals are still imprisoned worldwide, we call on Pope Leo XIV to support journalists unjustly persecuted for their work, particularly by visiting them in prison during every official visit,” Thibaut Bruttin, RSF leader, said in a statement.As the new pope was speaking, Ukrainian President Zelensky revealed he had invited the new pontiff to Ukraine in their first phone call.“Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers, to all our people,” Zelensky said in a post on social media. Leo had appealed for a “genuine, just and lasting peace” in Ukraine as he greeted crowds from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday.His predecessor Pope Francis, who died last month aged 88, repeatedly called for peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict but never visited either country.Leo also echoed the Argentine’s words by calling Sunday for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, for all hostages to be freed and humanitarian aid be sent to Gaza, concluding: “No more war!”
a divided earth
The bishop shook fingers and exchanged a few words with assembled journalists before answering questions during his first full year as Catholic head, which was held on Monday at the Vatican’s enormous Paul VI market house. He will have an market for foreign officials on Friday, followed by a ceremony for the opening at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, which is expected to bring tons of travelers. Leo’s initial general market will take place on May 21, a regular Wednesday event for the pope. He may meet with the Holy See’s strong top leaders and department heads on May 24th to discuss the situation with the Roman Curia, which he presides over. The charismatic, sassy pope from Chicago, who spent much of his existence serving in Peru as a preacher and holds a second citizenship, is still well known. Francis gave Leo the task of leading the potent Dicastery of Bishops, which provides advice to the pope on pope appointments, before appointing him as saint in 2023.
Don’t” close the doors.”
Leo will have to address a number of contemporary issues, including the effects of the global sexual abuse scandal, as pope, to help mend rifts in the Church and revive a faith that is waning in some regions. Many of the tens of thousands of believers who attended his funeral on Sunday said they were encouraged by the promise that Leo had following Francis ‘ example of uniting the world’s poor and bringing attention to the world’s bad. Christina Morey, a 31-year-old American, said,” I love that he is continuing Francis’s way while even seeming to make his personal, and I’m really excited to see where that will go.” Leo Mita, 34, an Italian, claimed that the first pontiff from the world actually sounded like a” citizen of the world for freedom and for serenity.” Vatican watchers claim Leo will use his calmer, more cooperative style to best effect on the global stage, as Francis occasionally did with his more direct approach, which has ruffled feathers among Vatican leaders and among its members. Leo celebrated large heavy beneath the church, which is where St. Peter’s tomb is located, before speaking to the crowds on Sunday. In his words, Leo urged citizens to “know how to talk so as not to judge, not to close windows thinking that we have all the facts and no one else can tell us anything,” according to a Vatican record.
