“Do not become a megaphone for power,” Pope Leo XIV tells journalists
Pope Leo XIV urged journalists Monday to center the human cost of war in their reporting, warning that coverage can slip into propaganda if it amplifies power instead of truth. In a message posted from the official @Pontifex account and echoed in remarks at the Vatican, Leo said reporters “must show the suffering that war always brings to populations” and tell those stories through the eyes of victims.
The pope made the comments during a meeting with journalists from Italy’s TG2 television news program, where he cautioned that information in wartime must not become a “megaphone” for those in power. Vatican News said Leo urged journalists to verify facts, show “the face of war,” and avoid presenting conflict in a way that turns it into entertainment. Reuters, which also reported on the remarks, said Leo warned against coverage that glorifies war or drifts into propaganda.
Leo did not name a specific conflict in those remarks, but they came one day after he issued one of his strongest calls yet for a ceasefire in the Middle East. AP reported that during his Sunday blessing, Leo appealed directly to those responsible for the war in Iran to “cease fire” so that dialogue could resume, while condemning violence as incapable of producing justice or peace.
That broader context matters because the Vatican has been escalating its language as the regional conflict worsens. Reuters reported that Leo has stepped up calls in recent days for an end to the expanding U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, while AP said his Sunday appeal followed weeks of more restrained comments rooted in the Vatican’s tradition of diplomatic neutrality.
Leo’s comments also fit a theme he has repeated before about the press and truth-telling. In October, AP reported that he urged international news agencies to act as a bulwark against lies, manipulation and “post-truths,” reinforcing his view that journalism serves the public best when it is independent, factual and resistant to political pressure.
Abbie Clark is the founder and editor of Now Rundown, covering the stories that hit households first—health, politics, insurance, home costs, scams, and the fine print people often learn too late.
