Pope Leo XIV Opposes Formalised Blessings for Same-Sex Couples in Germany

Pope Leo XIV has spoken against efforts by German bishops to give same-sex blessings a more formal status. As LGBTQ Nation reports , he told journalists after his trip to Africa that the Vatican does not support formalised blessings for same-sex couples and other “irregular” unions beyond what Pope Francis had already allowed.

The immediate trigger was the recent move by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich and Freising. In his archdiocese, Marx proposed using the German text “Blessing Strengthens Love,” prepared by the German Bishops’ Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics. That document argues that the Church can accompany not only married heterosexual couples but also other unions, including same-sex ones.

Leo XIV’s comments suggested that this is where the line lies between the German approach and Rome’s position. Under Francis, the Vatican had already allowed informal blessings for same-sex couples, but only outside a rite resembling marriage and without changing the Church’s teaching on marriage. Leo said that going further than this would likely create more division than unity.

At the same time, the pope shifted the emphasis of the discussion. He said the Church should not reduce morality only to questions of sexuality and that more important issues include justice, equality, the freedom of men and women, and religious freedom. That point matters for context: Leo did not change Catholic teaching on marriage, but he did suggest a different ordering of moral priorities.

Catholic LGBT groups in the United States welcomed the comments as an important signal. According to the report, Dignity USA and New Ways Ministry saw Leo’s remarks as an overdue recognition that the Church has spent too much time focusing on sexual morality and too little on social questions and human dignity.