Pope Leo XIV says journalists welcome amid Trump White House media ban

Pope Leo XIV told reporters on his France flight that all journalists were welcome. His remarks added moral weight to the fight over media access after the White House moved against some US outlets.

In Short

• Leo invited all reporters aboard his France-bound flight, stressing equal access
• A judge temporarily restored CNN, MS NOW and Politico access Thursday
• US networks skipped Xi's dinner arrival after journalists were denied entry

Pope Leo XIV has said journalists are welcome to cover him, as he responded to the Trump administration's attempt to bar some US media outlets from the White House. Speaking to reporters on Friday while flying to France for a four-day visit, he stressed the importance of media access and of journalists covering public figures.

Asked by a CNN reporter about the administration's attempt to block CNN and other reporters, Leo said the media was welcome on his plane. "I am very happy that here, you are all welcome," he said. Good media coverage is important, he added, and equally important is "that we have it all the way around, for everyone".

His remarks came as CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the White House on Thursday after a judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's ban. But the confrontation between Trump and outlets whose coverage he dislikes continued. On a high-profile day when Chinese leader Xi Jinping was visiting Washington and attending a state dinner, no major American network aired live coverage, and both CNN and MS NOW said their journalists were denied access to Xi's arrival for the dinner.

Leo has repeatedly backed a free and independent press, including in one of his first audiences as pope. Addressing journalists who covered the 2025 conclave that elected him, the American pope called for the release of imprisoned journalists and described free speech and the press as a "precious gift". At the same time, since the COVID-19 pandemic, independent media have not been allowed to cover photo opportunities inside the pope's private studio when visiting heads of state meet him. Many of the pope's private audiences with other groups and individuals are also closed to non-Vatican press.

During Friday's flight, Leo also apologised for missing a chance to speak to reporters on his previous international trip, when his Iberia charter broke down in Spain's Canary Islands. He then returned home alone on the king's private jet, which meant there was no traditional in-flight press conference. More than 70 reporters and the Vatican delegation had waited for several hours at the airport for a replacement aircraft. Greeting reporters at the back of the plane on Friday, he said: "A special mention I would like to make for those of you who were travelling with me when we returned to Rome from Spain. I want to apologise personally for an incident that I had nothing to do with, but which I know left a number of you unhappy with the fact that we couldn't have the flight back together to Rome."

In lighter remarks, Leo said he believed his alma mater Villanova would have the backing of the crowd when the Augustinian university plays Notre Dame's basketball team in Rome on November 1. "They tell me that the people coming to the match, 90 per cent are Villanova and 10 per cent Notre Dame, so the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side," he said. Overall, Leo used the flight to underline support for wider media access, respond to the dispute involving US news outlets and address reporters over his missed press interaction on the earlier Spain trip.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends