Pope Leo XIV called for a kinder, gentler mass media, one that speaks up for those with no voice and in defense of free speech, and urged regimes around the world that jail journalists to set them free.

In his first address to international media on Monday, Pope Leo XIV thanked journalists for their service to the truth and for communicating peace in difficult times.

On Monday, Pope Leo XIV gave his first press conference at the Vatican, where he called for peace and free speech as he addressed over 6,000 journalists. As he was walking out and shaking hands with members of the press, the new pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, gave a very cryptic answer to a reporter’s question that named the U.S.

The pontiff held his first meeting with the news media at the Vatican and called on reporters to choose “the path of communication in favor of peace.”

The pope's older brother, Louis Prevost, is a regular poster of political content on his Facebook page ... much of it from a more conservative viewpoint. While there's nothing wrong with sharing a political opinion,

The 73-year-old Florida man appears to be a staunch Trump supporter who uses his Facebook account to go on the attack.

The historic election of Pope Leo XIV as the first U.S.-born pope is already upending an earlier calculus about U.S. conservative opposition to reform.

Donald Trump touted how he won the Catholic vote as he blasted an ABC reporter for "effectively" saying "Pope Leo's selection had nothing to do with Trump." The President has said said it is "an honor" to have an American pope but there has been much talk about whether Leo's politics align with those of the current administration.