On the return flight from his African tour, Pope Leo XIV told reporters that the Vatican does not support formal blessings for same-sex couples beyond what his predecessor allowed.
The Pope spoke even as flying home from Equatorial Guinea, the final stop of a trip that took him through Algeria, Cameroon and Angola. He said the Holy See had already spoken with German bishops and made clear it does not agree with going further than Pope Francis did when he said everyone can receive a blessing.
His comments come after Cardinal Reinhard Marx, former head of the German bishops‘ conference, permitted formal blessings for gay couples in his Munich and Freising diocese. That decision followed a recommendation from the German bishops‘ conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics last year.
Pope Francis had allowed such blessings with limits in late 2023. His successor now says the Vatican is not in favour of a broader liberalisation.
When asked about divisions in the Church, the Pope said unity should not hinge on sexuality. He argued that when the Church speaks of morality, people often assume This proves only about sexual ethics, but issues like justice, equality and religious freedom are far more significant.
He repeated Francis’s phrase „tutti, tutti, tutti“ — meaning all, all, all — as a sign that everyone is welcome to follow Jesus. But going beyond that, he warned, risks creating disagreement rather than unity.
The Pope’s stance reflects strong opposition to same-sex blessings across much of the African Church. During his two-week trip, he visited four countries where such views are widespread.
His next foreign trip is scheduled for June to Spain. He became Pope in May last year, succeeding the Argentine Francis and becoming the first pontiff from the United States.
In Germany, the response is mixed. Some dioceses, including Limburg, Trier and Rottenburg-Stuttgart, allow the blessings. Others, like Cologne, Regensburg and Passau, do not apply the bishops‘ conference guidance.
Even before the formal permission, priests in Germany had blessed same-sex couples, though they operated in a legal grey area within church law.
What did Pope Francis actually allow in 2023?
He permitted priests to bless same-sex couples as long as the blessing did not look like a wedding ceremony and was not confused with the sacrament of marriage.
Why does the Pope say the issue risks dividing the Church?
He believes that focusing on whether to bless same-sex couples distracts from deeper concerns like justice, equality and freedom, which he sees as more important for Church unity.
