Pope Leo Xiv pleaded enthusiastically for peace and expressed solidarity with imprisoned journalists at his first press conference Monday, calling for “free freedom of speech and a valuable gift from the press” to be protected.

Leo, the first pope born to a dual citizen of the United States and Peru, entered the Vatican auditorium and received applause and sensational applause as he posted his first address in front of about 6,000 journalists. Augustinian, 69, thanked the Crow in English before reading his statement in Italian.

"So let me reaffirm the unity of today's church with journalists who have been imprisoned for seeking and reporting the truth," Leo said. He also urged journalists to avoid "ideological or partisan" language.

"We don't need loud, powerful communication, but communication that is able to listen and collect the voices of the weak without sound," he said.

He said artificial intelligence played a role in choosing his papal name and must be used with "responsibility and discernment."

Leo, who was elected at a 24-hour meeting last week, concluded his statement calling on journalists to choose a “way to communicate to support peace” and shake hands with some attendees. He did not ask questions like the Pope's press conference. Leo's predecessor Francis also refused to raise questions at his first press conference in 2013.

Leo's remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with the newly elected pope for the first time on Monday and discussed a 30-day ceasefire proposed by allies, which Moscow has not yet accepted and has kidnapped Ukrainian children by Russia.

Zelenskyy said in the telegram that the conversation was "very enthusiastic and really substantial", adding that he invited Leo to Ukraine.

Leo's words responded to his first Sunday wishes as the pope, with an estimated 100,000 people calling for a lasting peace in Ukraine, with an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza.

"There will never be war!" Leo said from the porch of St. Peter's Basilica.

Watching him pray from the nearby rooftops Sunday praying was his brother John, who arrived from Chicago on Saturday. "It seems like he's been doing it for a long time because he's not nervous," he told NBC News' Lester Holt.

"It seems like he's doing this role," he said.