Pope Benedict on Saturday reminded journalists in four languages of their responsibility to seek the truth and defend human dignity and pledged to have a papacy as open to the media as his predecessor. In a sign of how important communication will be to him as Pope, Benedict called the media that have converged in Rome from around the world to be the guests of his first audience for non-clergy since his election on Tuesday.
Benedict said he wanted to "continue the fruitful dialogue" with the media begun by John Paul, who went down in history as a great communicator.
Benedict's message to the media was courteous but clear.
He stressed the "ethical responsibility of those who work in the media, especially regarding the sincere search for truth and the defence of the centrality and dignity of the human person".
Displaying his linguistic skills by speaking in Italian, English, French and his native German, he said each journalist had to contribute to the common good.
They should also understand the effect the media's recent breathless development can have "on people's consciences and their spiritual outlook and in forming public opinion".
In order to do their work responsibly, the media's mandate was "to discover the truth, to use it and to make it known," said Benedict, wearing the traditional white papal cassock and looking professorial with gold-coloured wire-rimmed glasses.
INAUGURAL MASS: Benedict celebrates his inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, delivering his first public homily as Pope from the spot where he presided over John Paul's funeral two weeks ago.
Fewer world leaders are due to attend the inauguration than the funeral.
Rome will shut off its airspace for the Mass and has anti-aircraft missiles and a Nato plane guarding against attack.