Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard his flight bound for Algiers Houari Boumdine International Airport on Monday, April 13, 2026, at the start of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa. (Alberto Pizzoli/Pool Photo via AP)2026-04-16T05:05:47Z ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) There is an odd sense of isolation when you are covering Pope Leo XIV from inside the Vaticans traveling press pool: Escorted from venue to venue with police motorcades that clear even the most congested of traffic jams, its a membership that has many privileges.But during Leos epic four-nation trip to Africa, being inside the Vatican bubble has been an almost surreal experience, as an unprecedented back-and-forth plays out between U.S. President Donald Trump and historys first American pope.Every morning this week, waking up to developments in Washington from the evening before, the questions have abounded: Will Leo bite? How will he address the latest criticism, if at all, while focusing on the Africa program he has planned?That was certainly the case on Wednesday, as Leo, the Vatican delegation and a pool of around 70 accredited reporters boarded the ITA Airways charter for the second leg of Leos 11-day odyssey the flight from Algiers, Algeria to Yaounde, Cameroon. Much to the reporters delight, Leo had responded head-on to Trump at the start of the trip when he gamely greeted reporters traveling April 13 from Rome to Algiers. He responded to those who asked him about Trumps Truth Social post a day earlier, in which the U.S. president had accused him of being soft on crime, cozy with the left and owed his papacy to Trump. Trump was responding to Leos calls for peace, in reference to the Iran war, and comments that Trumps threat to annihilate Iranian civilization were truly unacceptable.Leo had told journalists aboard the papal plane that he was merely preaching the Gospel when he called for peace and criticized war, and that he didnt fear the Trump administration. Read More A comment about peaceOn Wednesday, Leo didnt take questions from reporters and kept his remarks focused on his just-concluded visit to Algeria, where he honored the legacy of his spiritual inspiration, St. Augustine of Hippo.In brief remarks to reporters standing at the front of economy class, Leo didnt refer to war or Trump. But he spoke in terms that could suggest the latest overnight lobs from Washington certainly hadnt gone unnoticed. Perhaps tellingly, he spoke exclusively in English.Trump had kept up the criticism on Truth Social, while U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, said that Leo should be careful when speaking about theology. For starters, Leo noted the sign of goodness, generosity, and respect that the Algerian government showed him in welcoming him on the first-ever papal visit. He said that the Algerian honors had included a full military aerial escort of the papal plane through Algerian airspace.He also recalled his visit to the Great Mosque in Algiers, which he said was a significant way to show that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace.He said that St. Augustines message of searching for God, searching for truth, building bridges and seeking unity and community is something which the world needs to hear today and that together we can continue to offer in our witness as we continue on this apostolic voyage. A papal press poolLike other heads of state, the pope travels internationally with both the Vaticans own media team as well as a group of external news organizations that pay, oftentimes handsomely, to have their reporters travel aboard the papal plane and have special access to cover his events.Being inside the Vatican bubble has journalistic advantages and disadvantages. You get the best access and are traveling under the Vaticans security umbrella, meaning theres little or no hassle from local security organizers. The Vatican facilitates visas and local SIM cards in advance, and arranges hotels and local transportation, allowing reporters to focus on the news rather than logistics.Journalists in the bubble get the popes speeches ahead of time and have occasional access to delegation members, as well as other information in real time from the Vatican spokesman. But the real reason news organizations choose to spend thousands of dollars per journalist, per trip, to be on the papal plane is to be on hand for the popes news conferences. The only time a pope holds such briefings with journalists is at an altitude of 35,000 feet (around 10,000 meters)Who could forget Pope Francis famous line on his maiden trip as pope, in 2013 to Rio de Janeiro, when he uttered the line Who am I to judge, when he was asked about a purportedly gay priest.The downside of being in the Vatican bubble is obvious for many of the same reasons its helpful: You are removed from local reality, whether in Algeria or Alaska, and rarely have time to do the type of on-the-ground reporting that makes a news report balanced. Those news organizations that have the resources have teams on the ground producing such content, or journalists within the bubble break away to do their own reporting, so that the end result is a healthy combination of official Vatican information and local input.But when the real drama involving the pope is occurring thousands of miles and time zones away, being in the Vatican bubble is a somewhat jarring experience. The news everyone wants to know isnt necessarily what the pope has on his agenda.But on this trip, the first by an American pope to Africa, being in the Vatican bubble certainly had its advantages.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. NICOLE WINFIELD Winfield has been on the Vatican beat since 2001, covering the papacies of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and the Francis pontificate and traveling the world with them.