Pope Leone XIV Meets Writers to Mark Vatican Publishing House Centennial

On 24 June 2026, Pope Leone XIV welcomed a delegation of international writers at the Vatican to celebrate the 100‑year anniversary of the Libreria Editrice Vaticana. In his address, the pontiff said, “We need you, your imagination and narrative vitality, to create spaces of freedom and authenticity where divine grace can bring consolation and peace,” and urged writers to sow “seeds of reconciliation, encounter and friendship.”

Italian‑Somali author Igiaba Scego, who attended the meeting, highlighted the pope’s message about the centrality of storytelling in an age of artificial intelligence and unchecked capitalism. She noted the Pope’s call for humanity to be at the heart of narrative and warned against restrictive migration terminology, emphasizing the need for empathy toward displaced peoples.