Pope Leo calls for news media to shun divisive language

Pope Leo XIV used his first audience with news outlets Monday to appeal to journalists to help cool the heated language of today’s media landscape. The comments once again echoed some of the themes highlighted by his predecessor, Pope Francis, as Leo backed a free press to enable informed decisions and renewed his calls for a more peaceful world.

“Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred; let us free it from aggression,” Leo told more than 1,000 journalists, including the Vatican press corps, who were…