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PoliticsActive · 28h

Pope Leo XIV backs press freedom as Trump's CNN, MS Now, Politico ban unravels

Aboard his flight to France, the pope was asked about Trump's now-blocked White House media ban and said all journalists are welcome to cover him.

newest coverage 1h agosummary written 11h ago33 pieces22 likes & upvotes3 comments NewswiresMastodonYouTubeXRedditBluesky

Part of a larger narrative

Trump White House Press Ban

9 stories · since Sep 15 · newest 1h ago — The Trump administration's exclusion of major news outlets from White House coverage sparks legal challenges and rare public criticism from former president…

  1. Pope Leo XIV backs press freedom as Trump's CNN, MS Now, Politico ban unravelsyou are here
  2. Trump bars U.S. press from Xi meeting; Chinese state media gains access
  3. White House blocks CNN, MS NOW again from Xi dinner despite court order
  4. Trump bars CNN, Politico, MS NOW from White House after aide shows him critical clips
  5. Trump calls media a 'cancer' and national security threat; three outlets sue
All 9 stories in this narrative →

What to know

  • A federal judge ruled Trump's White House ban on CNN, MS Now and Politico was likely unconstitutional, forcing their reinstatement on Thursday.
  • Despite reinstatement, CNN and MS Now said they were still denied access to Xi Jinping's state dinner arrival the same day, showing the dispute is not fully resolved.
  • Pope Leo XIV, asked directly about the ban aboard his flight to France, sidestepped naming Trump but affirmed that press coverage of public figures is important and that journalists are welcome.

“A special mention I would like to make for those of you who were travelling with me when we returned to Rome from Spain.”

Pope Leo XIV, Pontiff · Philadelphia Inquirer (AP) ↗ · Sep 24

Pope Leo XIV Pontiff, American-bornDonald TrumpDonald Trump U.S. PresidentCNN, MS Now, Politico Media outlets barred and then reinstated

Pope Leo XIV backs press freedom as Trump's CNN, MS Now, Politico ban unravels
Philadelphia Inquirer

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

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4 PMtoday8 AMnow · 4:26 PM ET
  1. 2

    Leo apologizes to press for Canary Islands flight incident

    During the same exchange, Leo apologized for missing his traditional airborne press conference after his charter broke down in the Canary Islands, when he returned to Rome on the Spanish king's private jet instead of with the travelling press.

    “I want to apologize 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 back to Rome.”
    — Pope Leo XIV
    • joshmcelwee.org

      Asked about U.S. President Donald ​Trump's decision to bar CNN ‌and several other outlets from the White House, Pope Leo on Friday reaffirmed ​his support for freedom of ​the press. @reuters.com

      joshmcelwee.orgBluesky6h ago5▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 4 posts in this stretch

    • Pope Leo Comments On Trump’s Media Ban, Tells Reporter ‘You’re All Welcome’ https://www. forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/ 2026/09/25/pope-leo-comments-on-trumps-media-ban-tells-reporter-youre-all-welcome/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Breaking News @ breaking-news-forbes

      forbes@flipboard.comMastodon8h agoview on Mastodon ↗
    • politicalwire

      Pope Leo Xiv Responds to Trump’s Press Ban https:// politicalwire.com/2026/09/25/p ope-leo-xiv-responds-to-trumps-press-ban/?ap=m

      politicalwireMastodon5h agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  2. 3

    Pope Leo XIV says journalists are 'welcome' when asked about Trump ban

    Greeting reporters aboard the two-hour papal flight from Rome to Paris, Leo was asked by a CNN reporter about the Trump administration's attempt to bar outlets from the White House and responded by affirming the importance of press coverage without naming Trump.

    “I'm very happy that here, you are all welcome. With coverage, I think it's very important that we have it all the way around for everyone.”
    — Pope Leo XIV

    1. 7 outlets first by Boston Globe, 11h ago · also Forbes Business, PennLive, PBS NewsHour, Mercury News, Philadelphia Inquirer, New Republic · read ↗

    2. 3 outlets first by Investing.com News, 5h ago · also Straits Times, Reuters · read ↗

    3 more claims →
  3. 1

    CNN and MS Now denied access to Xi's state dinner despite reinstatement

    On the day Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Washington for a state dinner, no major American network aired live coverage, and CNN and MS Now said their journalists were still denied access to Xi's arrival.

  4. background

    White House reinstates CNN, MS Now and Politico — Following the judge's ruling, the three outlets regained access to the White House on Thursday, though the confrontation between Trump and disfavored outlets continued.

  5. background

    Judge rules Trump's White House media ban likely unconstitutional — A federal judge found that the Trump administration's exclusion of CNN, MS Now and Politico from White House access was likely unlawful, giving the outlets a reprieve.

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