Pope Leo XIV has restated the Catholic Church’s traditional belief in the importance of the family and marriage, asserting that the foundation of the family lies in the “stable union between a man and a woman.”
During his inaugural speech as pope on May 16, 2025, he stressed the necessity for the Church to welcome all individuals without changing its core teachings. He reaffirmed that homosexual acts are viewed as “intrinsically disordered” and urged governments to uphold the traditional family structure.
The pope’s remarks echo the longstanding teachings of the Catholic Church, including those outlined in Pope Leo XIII’s 1880 encyclical Arcanum Divinae, which defined marriage as strictly between a man and a woman.
Reactions to Pope Leo XIV’s statements have varied. Some Catholics praised his dedication to traditional values, while LGBTQ+ advocates expressed disappointment, hoping for a more progressive stance from the new pope.
