Pope Leo XIV affirms family is based on union between a man and a woman, unborn has inherent dignity
Pope Leo XIV appears on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican to bless the crowd below on May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
BY NICOLE WINFIELD
Updated 5:31 AM EDT, May 16, 2025
Share
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV affirmed Friday that the familyis founded on the “stable union between a man and a woman,” and that the unborn and elderly enjoy dignity as God’s creatures, articulating clear Catholic teaching on marriage and abortion at the start of his pontificate.
Leo, the first American pope, also called for reviving multilateral diplomacy and promoting dialogue between religions in the search for peace, in his first meeting with the Vatican diplomatic corps. The audience was private, but the Vatican released Leo’s prepared text and that of the dean of the diplomatic corps.
The encounter is one of the protocol requirements after a conclave, allowing a new pope to greet representatives of world governments ahead of his formal installation Mass this Sunday. The Holy See is a sovereign state under international law, has diplomatic relations with over 180 countries and enjoys observer status at the United Nations.
Pope Leo XIV affirms family is based on union between a man and a woman, unborn has inherent dignity
Pope Leo XIV has affirmed core Catholic teaching on marriage and the unborn in his first meeting with the ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.
apnews.com