Pope praises press freedom in message to Italian newspaper

Vatican News

Fifty years of recounting the history of Italy, the world, and the Church; a constant relationship with readers; freedom of inquiry; and dialogue as the privileged path for peace-building.

Those are among the themes discussed by Pope Leo XIV in a message for the 50th anniversary of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, addressed to its editor, Mario Orfeo.

A privileged vantage point

In his letter, the Pope extends his good wishes to the journalists who have recounted half a century of history, “cultivating the relationship with your readers that has brought you this far.”

“Yours is a newspaper," the Pope wrote, "rooted in many cities, but which has in Rome, the Diocese of the Pope, its main headquarters and a privileged vantage point from which to observe events in Italy and around the world. You have read the pages of these fifty years, and recounted the history of the Church, with freedom.”

Freedom of the press

Freedom, storytelling, and a distinctive point of view on the world are at the heart of freedom of the press, the Pope said.

“Even amid diversity of opinions, points of view, and cultures,” he wrote, the press must “always act with transparency and integrity.”

Pope Leo added that the press must offer “that opportunity for dialogue which, when it is not hostile, contributes to the common good and to the unity of the human family. In this way, dialogue overcomes conflict and builds peace."

Bringing his message to a close, the Pope expressed his hope that the newspaper would “always build a communication that is free and dialogical, animated by the search for truth and without prejudice. Happy fiftieth anniversary!”

Exhibition in Rome

To celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, the newspaper has organized an exhibition at Rome’s Mattatoio entitled La Repubblica: A History of the Future.

The multimedia exhibit, running until March 15, features photographs and newspaper pages from key moments in the paper’s history.