What did Pope Leo XIV say about marriage? Vatican leader’s statement goes viral

Pope Leo XIV is maintaining the Catholic Church's longstanding views on same-sex marriages. Under Pope Leo XIV, Catholic priests will continue to bless same-sex unions.

Several outlets have reported that the Chicago-born Pontiff declared just today from the high altar,

"Marriage is only possible between a man and a woman."

Pope Leo XIV, then quoted the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, according to La Derecha Diario:

"Marriage is not an ideal, but the model of true love between man and woman: total, faithful, and fruitful love."

Per the outlet, he also asserted the importance of "holy marriages," citing the examples of Louis and Zélie Martin, who were the parents of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, as well as Ulma's family, who were martyred during the Second World War for protecting Jews. Pope Leo XIV stated,

"By proposing holy marriages as exemplary witnesses, the Church tells us that today's world needs the conjugal covenant to know and welcome God's love, and to overcome, with its uniting and reconciling strength, the forces that destroy relationships and societies."

Everything we know about Pope Leo XIV and the Catholic Church's stance on same-sex marriages:

Previously, Pope Francis made headlines when he gave the clergy his approval for same-sex marriages while concurrently maintaining the clergy's beliefs that marriage should only be traditional. Since then, fears that the Catholic Church and the first-ever American Pope may go back on this have been rampant.

However, as reported by NCR and Out in Perth, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the head of the Vatican’s doctrine office, recently gave a quick interview where he indicated otherwise. In a July 3 interview about Pope XIV's decision to revoke the blessings, he stated

“I really don’t think so — the declaration will remain."

Pope Leo XIV also spoke to newlyweds Cole and Anna Stevens this month in Rome, where he gave them the "sposi novelli" blessing, which is mainly given to those who have recently gotten married. According to the Catholic News Agency, the pair then asked him how they could work on deepening their faith, to which he told them,

“First of all, it is very important to go slowly and to find the style of prayer that works for you, we’re all different -- many spiritualities. My parents prayed the Rosary together their whole lives every day … I found that I was always blessed, I’m sure because of it, their love for one another."

Late Pope Francis' stance on LGBTQ+ rights was generally viewed as more accepting than his predecessors, as he formally approved Catholic priests blessing same-sex couples. On the contrary, Pope Benedict declared his stance a threat to the "future of humanity".

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Back in 2013, shortly after he was announced as the new head of the Catholic Church, Francis asserted that homosexual individuals should not be discriminated against. He also noted that being gay is not a sin, but engaging in same-sex acts is against the teachings of the Bible, Context News has reported.

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