Pope Leo XIV says freedom, storytelling, and a distinctive point of view on the world are at the heart of press freedom, in his message to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, addressed to its editor, Mario Orfeo.
“Even amid diversity of opinions, points of view, and cultures, the press must always act with transparency and integrity,” Pope Leo stated.
The Pope, in celebrating the 50th anniversary of La Repubblica, expressed hope that the press will always promote communication that is free and dialogical, animated by the search for truth and without prejudice.
Pope Leo added that the press must offer “that opportunity for dialogue which, when it is not hostile, contributes to the common good and to the unity of the human family. In this way, dialogue overcomes conflict and builds peace.”
According to the Pontiff, the newspaper has survived fifty years of recounting the history of Italy, the world, and the Church, and described it as a constant relationship with its readers that promotes freedom of inquiry and dialogue as the privileged path for peace-building.
The Pope extended his good wishes to the journalists who have recounted half a century of history, “cultivating the relationship with your readers that has brought you this far.”
According to the Pope, La Repubblica is at a vantage point reporting the Church and recounting events that shape religiosity across the globe. “You have read the pages of these fifty years, and recounted the history of the Church, with freedom.
“Yours is a newspaper, rooted in many cities, but which has in Rome, the Diocese of the Pope, its main headquarters and a privileged vantage point from which to observe events in Italy and around the world.”
