Addressing a global network of news agencies, Pope Leo yesterday thanked reporters who every day work to share the truth, often risking their lives. Source: Vatican News.
“If today we know what is happening in Gaza, Ukraine, and every other land bloodied by bombs, we largely owe it to them.”
As he addressed members of MINDS International – a global network of leading news agencies – the Pope described these “extraordinary eyewitness accounts” as the “culmination of the daily efforts of countless people who work to ensure that information is not manipulated for ends that are contrary to truth and human dignity.”
In a world marked by violent conflict and misinformation, the Pope called on media professionals to recognise the risks their colleagues take to ensure the world stays informed – and to honour their sacrifices by upholding the highest standards of integrity and truth.
In light of this, the Pope reiterated his long-standing appeal for the release of journalists who have been unjustly detained or persecuted. “Doing the work of a journalist can never be considered a crime,” he insisted. “It is a right that must be protected.”
He warned of attempts to suppress or manipulate information in the name of political or ideological interests and called on reporters and media professionals to hold fast to their vocation, even under pressure: “Your service requires competence, courage, and a sense of ethics.”
The Pope’s address comes at a time in which global events demand “particular discernment and responsibility,” and during which the role of the media in forming consciences and supporting critical thinking has never been more essential … or more threatened.
Pope Leo went on to describe the paradox that “in the age of communication, news and media agencies are undergoing a period of crisis.” He added that audiences, too, are in crisis, as too often the line between truth and falsehood becomes increasingly blurred.
Still, he continued, in a world saturated with information, “no one today can say, ‘I did not know’.”
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Pope: In this age of communication, nobody can say ‘I did not know’ (By Francesca Merlo, Vatican News)
