Pope Francis Is Right About My Profession

Last weekend, Pope Francis gave my profession a gift: a thoughtful outsider’s perspective on the proper role of journalists. “Your mission is to explain the world, to make it less obscure, to make those who live in it less afraid of it and look at others with greater awareness, and also with more confidence,” he said, adding that, to succeed, journalists must first listen.

By this, he meant far more than picking up a telephone or jumping onto Zoom. He meant “having the patience to meet face-to-face with the people to be interviewed, the protagonists of the stories being told, the sources from which to receive news,” because “certain nuances, sensations, and well-rounded descriptions can only be conveyed” if the journalist is present to see and hear. That means “escaping from the tyranny of always being online, on social networks, on the web,” he insisted, and taking time to be present, despite the difficulty. We