Pope Leo XIV: Marriage Is 'Between a Man and a Woman'

The U.S.-born pontiff delivered an address Friday to the Vatican diplomatic corps where he affirmed that marriage is between a man and a woman, and emphasized the dignity of unborn children and the elderly.

“It is the responsibility of government leaders to work to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies. This can be achieved above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman, ‘a small but genuine society, and prior to all civil society,'” Pope Leo XIV said, with a reference to Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum encyclical.

“In addition, no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike,” the Holy Father added, echoing his predecessor, the late Pope Francis. He also noted his own personal story as a descendant of immigrants who chose to emigrate to the U.S.

Rerum Novarum, written in 1891, argued in favor of workers’ rights and labor unions while strongly denouncing the destructive nature of socialism. As the new pontiff’s name suggests, Pope Leo XIII’s famous encyclical is shaping up to be profoundly influential on Leo XIV’s approach to artificial intelligence and many other social and technological challenges.

In his speech to over 100 Vatican diplomats, Pope Leo XIV asserted that peace, justice, and truth are the “three essential words” for understanding the Catholic Church’s global missionary activity and diplomatic approach. He cited his own experience in North America, South America, and Europe in articulating his aspirational diplomatic vision for reaching people across all corners of the globe.

“In addition to being a visible sign of your countries’ respect for the Apostolic See, your presence here today is a gift for me,” Pope Leo XIV said.

“It allows me to renew the Church’s aspiration — and my own — to reach out and embrace all individuals and peoples on the Earth, who need and yearn for truth, justice and peace! In a certain sense, my own life experience, which has spanned North America, South America and Europe, has been marked by this aspiration to transcend borders in order to encounter different peoples and cultures.”

At the start of his speech, Pope Leo XIV thanked the diplomats for the many messages of goodwill he received following his papal election, and those mourning the death of Pope Francis. He said some of the messages came from countries with whom the Vatican currently does not have diplomatic relations, a reflection of the significance of the papacy worldwide.

When discussing peace, Leo XIV expressed the need for religious freedom worldwide and the value of inter-religious dialogue in fostering peace. He described how peace begins internally with the heart, requiring us to work on ourselves and eliminate pride and vindictiveness.

“From a Christian perspective – but also in other religious traditions – peace is first and foremost a gift. It is the first gift of Christ: ‘My peace I give to you’ (Jn 14:27). Yet it is an active and demanding gift,” Pope Leo XIV said, referring to Christ’s words to His disciples as chronicled by the Gospel of John.

“In this regard, I believe that religions and interreligious dialogue can make a fundamental contribution to fostering a climate of peace. This naturally requires full respect for religious freedom in every country, since religious experience is an essential dimension of the human person.”

Moreover, Pope Leo XIV called for disarmament and a willingness to engage in dialogue rather than war, citing Francis’s Easter 2025 papal blessing with a similar message. He closed his address with a word of hope that the world will be able to resolve conflicts in Ukraine, the Holy Land, and elsewhere.