Pope Leo XIV announced a shift in the Catholic Church's stance on LGBT issues and same-sex marriage
The Pope emphasized that the Church must focus first and foremost on issues of social inequality and justice, rather than on sexual ethics. In his words, we cannot afford to sow even more discord among people.
“The unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual issues,” said Pope Leo XIV at a press conference during his flight home on Thursday, responding to a question about the Church’s stance on same-sex marriage.
Experts believe that the pontiff’s stance could prove to be a long-term one for the Church’s 1.4 billion members.
“I believe there are far more important and significant issues, such as justice, equality... that should take precedence over this particular issue,” he said.
Marianne Daddie-Berk, executive director of Dignity USA, a group that supports LGBT Catholics, called the Pope’s remarks “a very significant and long-overdue reorientation of priorities.”
Priests and bishops of the global Church have long emphasized its teachings on sexual matters—including the prohibition of abortion, birth control, and same-sex marriage—as top priorities.
The Pope also stated that he supports the late Pope Francis’ landmark 2023 decision, which allows pastors to offer blessings to same-sex couples informally, outside of a liturgical service, and on a case-by-case basis.
But Leo XIV said he wants to prioritize other ethical issues and does not want the blessings to become even more formalized.
“If we go beyond this today, I think this issue could cause more division than unity,” said the 70-year-old pontiff.
The Rev. James Keenan, a scholar at Boston College, called Leo’s approach new for the global Church.
“The pope asserts that the Vatican has a hierarchy of issues, and the perception that issues of sexuality have sole priority does not correspond to reality,” said Keenan, a Jesuit priest who founded a global network of Catholic scholars focused on ethical issues.
He also added that “this is clearly a judicious judgment by the pontiff… that the issue of blessing same-sex marriages should not overshadow the more pressing challenges of dictatorships and war.”
As a reminder, Trump criticized the Pope over foreign policy issues.
During his Easter greeting, the Pope mentioned the Ukrainian people.
He also called on the world to stop wars.
Pope Leo XIV condemned the illusion of omnipotence and called for an end to the war in Iran.
