Pope Leo Welcomes Journalists Amid Trump Media Fight

Pope Leo XIV told reporters on Sept. 25, 2026, on a two-hour flight from Rome to Paris, that journalists were welcome to cover him. Asked by a CNN reporter about the Trump administration's effort to bar CNN and other outlets from the White House, Leo said, "I am very happy that here, you are all welcome," and that coverage should be "all the way around, for everyone." He was starting a four-day visit to France. CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the White House on Thursday after a judge temporarily blocked the ban. Access disputes continued: during Xi Jinping's Washington visit for a state dinner, no major American network aired live coverage, and CNN and MS NOW said journalists were denied access to Xi's arrival. Leo, elected in the 2025 conclave, has described free speech and the press as a "precious gift." On the flight he also apologized for a missed Spain press conference after an Iberia charter broke down in the Canary Islands; he returned on the king's private jet while more than 70 reporters waited hours. He joked that 90 percent of fans at a Nov. 1 Villanova-Notre Dame game in Rome would back Villanova, so "the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side."