Pope Leo XIV calls for release of journalists jailed for reporting truth

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The suffering of imprisoned journalists is a call 'to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press,' says Pope Leo XIV

MANILA, Philippines – Pope Leo XIV on Monday, May 12, called for the release of journalists detained for reporting the truth, and said their suffering challenges the world to defend freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

“We must say no to the war of words and images. We must reject the paradigm of war,” Leo said in a meeting with thousands of journalists who covered the recent conclave.

“Let me therefore reiterate today the Church’s solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for seeking and reporting the truth — and with these words, also ask for these imprisoned journalists’ release,” the Pope said.

Leo said he was “thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives, the courage of those who defend dignity, justice, and the right of people to be informed, because only informed individuals can make free choices.”

“The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press,” said the 69-year-old pontiff, the first from the United States.

Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders said at least 550 journalists around the world were detained as of December 2024, up from 513 as of December 2023.

One of the imprisoned journalists is Frenchie Mae Cumpio from Tacloban City in the Philippines, who was charged with the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. International media watchdogs have consistently called for Cumpio’s release.

Leo’s appeal on Monday was one of the boldest statements from a Catholic pope in defense of press freedom. This was also one of Leo’s first public pronouncements after his election, indicating his priorities not only as a religious figure but as a leader on the world stage.

In his first Regina Coeli message on Sunday, May 11, Leo appealed for “no more war” in Ukraine, Gaza, and other conflict-stricken places in the world.

Echoing Pope Francis

The late Pope Francis also frequently spoke in defense of a free press.

In a speech for the Jubilee of the World of Communications on January 25, Francis remembered “those who are imprisoned merely for having been faithful to the profession of journalist, photographer, video operator; for wanting to see with their own eyes and for trying to report what they have seen. There are many of them!” 

“But in this Holy Year, in this Jubilee of the World of Communications, I ask those who have the power to do so to free all unjustly imprisoned journalists,” Francis said.

One of two keynote speakers at this Jubilee Year event on January 25 — Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa — highlighted the plight of journalists facing criminal cases. Ressa herself faced up to 10 cases during the Rodrigo Duterte administration.

“Support journalists, human rights defenders, and activists who risk their lives,” Ressa said in a speech preceding Francis’ address at the Vatican’s Pope Paul VI Audience Hall.

“Remember the Martin Neimoller quote from Germany? Here’s our Philippine version, published by our largest newspaper after my first arrest: ‘First they came for the journalists. We don’t know what happened next,'” Ressa said. – Rappler.com