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LAST UPDATE | 12 May
POPE LEO XIV has been invited by Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make an apostolic visit to the country.
“Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people,” said Zelenskyy.
In a post to social media, Zelenskyy said he held his first conversation with the new pope.
Zelenskyy said he thanked Leo XIV for his support of Ukraine and that he “deeply values” his calls for a just and lasting peace”.
I spoke with Pope Leo XIV. It was our first conversation, but already a very warm and truly substantive one.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 12, 2025
I thanked His Holiness for his support of Ukraine and all our people. We deeply value his words about the need to achieve a just and lasting peace for our country and the… pic.twitter.com/4ocbA7jnMK
“We also discussed the thousands of Ukrainian children deported by Russia,” said Zelenskyy.
“Ukraine counts on the Vatican’s assistance in bringing them home to their families.”
Zelenskyy said he told Leo XIV that “starting today, a full and unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days must begin” and that he “reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness for further negotiations in any format, including direct talks”.
Elsewhere, the new pope held his first audience with journalists from the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican this morning.
He expressed his “solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for seeking to report the truth”.
He added that the “precious gift of free speech and of the press” must be safeguarded.
The Audience Hall is just steps from St Peter’s Basilica and the new pope spoke under the watchful eye of a sculpture called ‘The Resurrection’.
Pope Leo XIV addressing journalists from the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Vatican Media
Vatican Media
The sculpture is intended to capture the fear of living under the threat of nuclear war by depicting Christ rising from a nuclear crater.
As well as being the first pope from North America, Leo XIV is also the first pope since Pope Adrian IV in the 12th century to come from an English speaking country.
And while the new pope made a brief quip in English, the rest of his address was made in Italian – the working language of the Vatican.
When he appeared, there were chants of “viva el Papa” and the applause lasted for over a minute.
Pope Leo XIV jokes with applauding journalists during an audience with media professionals on Monday in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall. pic.twitter.com/vZvPi9YBsI
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 12, 2025
Leo XIV then said, in English: “They say when the audience claps at the beginning, it doesn’t matter much.
“If you’re still awake at the end and you still want to applaud, thank you very much.”
Then turning to Italian, Leo XIV called for the release of imprisoned journalists.
“Let me therefore reiterate the Church’s solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for seeking to report the truth,” said Leo XIV.
“I am 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.
“The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community.”
He also called on the press to use communication which “does not seek consensus at all costs, does not use aggressive words, does not follow the culture of competition, and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it”.
“Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred,” said Leo XIV.
“Let us disarm words, and we will help disarm the world.”
He added: “The way we communicate is of fundamental importance. We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images; we must reject the paradigm of war.”
Pope Leo XIV met on Monday with media professionals in Rome to cover the papal election, urging them to promote peace.
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 12, 2025
“The way we communicate is of fundamental importance,” he said. “We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images; we must reject the paradigm of war.” pic.twitter.com/WHxlFUiZQw
The new pope also called for the “precious gift of free speech and of the press” to be safeguarded and remarked that “only informed individuals can make free choices”.
He also noted the “immense potential” of Artificial intelligence but added that it requires “responsibility and discernment in order to ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity”.
The new pope is a member of the Augustinian Order and quoting St Augustine he remarked: “Let us live well, and the times will be good. We are the times.”
He also thanked journalists for their work in covering the death and funeral of Pope Francis, the conclave, and his own first days in office.
Meanwhile, he praised the media for moving “beyond stereotypes and cliches through which we often interpret Christian life and the life of the Church itself”.
The first meeting with journalists can give a good indication as to how the new pope will carry himself.
This morning, Leo XIV acted much more like Francis than Pope Benedict XIV.
A clip has been doing the rounds on social media of Leo XIV attending a White Sox baseball game in 2005 and the new pope this morning signed a baseball that a journalist was holding.
They found Pope Leo XIV on the White Sox World Series broadcast in 2005
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) May 9, 2025
(h/t @SoxOn35th)pic.twitter.com/67egr9xE9I
And instead of exiting stage left as Benedict XVI did in 2005, Leo XIV left the audience hall by walking up the central aisle.
The new pope blessed babies, accepted gifts, shook people’s hands, and fielded a question from the Peruvian press – Leo XIV is a citizen of Peru having spent over 20 years in the country.
Pope Leo XIV signs a baseball after his audience with journalists this morning. Autographing the first of many baseballs I feel during what, God willing, will be a long Pontificate. pic.twitter.com/eUouwg6DPb
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) May 12, 2025
When Benedict XVI greeted journalists for the first time, he waved mechanically and departed after around 15 minutes without greeting any individual reporters.
Pope Benedict XVI waves after speaking to members of the media at Paul VI Hall in the Vatican on 23 April, 2005 Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
But with Pope Francis in 2013, there was a very noticeable step change.
He called for a “poor Church for the poor” and explained that he chose his papal name because of St. Francis of Assisi, who Francis described as a “man of poverty and a man of peace”.
He also spoke about the conclave and revealed that one Cardinal approached Francis when he was elected and “told me not to forget the poor”.
“And that word went in here,” said Francis, pointing to his head.
But while Leo XIV kept to the script this morning, Francis spoke mostly off the cuff and was making jokes.
He also greeted the service dog of a visually impaired journalist.
Pope Francis pets a guide dog for the visually impaired during a meeting with journalists at Paul VI Hall. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Francis also offered a silent “cordial” blessing to the journalists gathered, acknowledging that many gathered were not Catholic.
“Since many of you are not members of the Catholic Church, and others are not believers, I cordially give this blessing silently, to each of you, respecting the conscience of each, but in the knowledge that each of you is a child of God.”
Leo XIV’s next major item is a meeting with the Vatican’s Diplomatic Corps on Friday, 16 May.
And on Sunday, 18 May, an inaugural Mass will be held in St Peter’s Square to formally mark the beginning of his pontificate.
From there, Leo will hold his first General Audience on 21 May – these are held on Wednesday mornings at St Peter’s Square.
And on Saturday 24 May he will meet with the Roman Curia, the government of the Catholic Church, and Vatican City State employees.
The following day, Sunday 25 May, the new pope’s routine will be settling into place and he will deliver a Regina Caeli prayer from St Peter’s.
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