Pope Leo XIV Says the Church Will Not Expand Same-Sex Blessings

On April 23, Pope Leo XIV signalled that the Vatican does not plan to go beyond the approach approved under Francis in the declaration Fiducia supplicans . As Reuters reported , he told journalists on his flight back to Rome that new steps on the issue could bring more disunity than unity to the Church.

In December 2023, Francis allowed informal blessings for same-sex couples outside a liturgical rite and on a case-by-case basis, but without turning them into a ceremony resembling marriage. Leo has now made clear that the Holy See does not support any further formalisation of that practice.

The question was prompted by the recent move by Cardinal Reinhard Marx to formally allow blessings for same-sex couples in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. Reuters said Leo did not directly criticise Marx but referred to previous Vatican instructions telling German bishops not to create separate rituals for such blessings.

Leo also said Catholic moral teaching should not be reduced only to questions of sexuality. In his view, the Church should also speak about broader issues, including justice, equality, and the freedom of men and women.