Leo commented on the flight back from a long trip to Africa.Image: keystone
April 24, 2026, 05:52April 24, 2026, 05:52
Pope Leo XIV is putting the brakes on the blessing of homosexual couples by the Catholic Church in Germany. With regard to the German Bishops’ Conference and various dioceses, the head of the world Catholic Church made it clear that the Vatican “does not agree” with further liberalization. Leo commented on the flight back from a long trip to Africa. There, in particular, large parts of the church reject any recognition of same-sex partnerships.
The Pope was reacting to the actions of the former chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who officially permitted the formal blessing of homosexual couples in his diocese of Munich and Freising. The basis for this is a recommendation from the Bishops’ Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics. At the end of 2023, the now deceased Pope Francis allowed blessings with restrictions.
Leo calls his predecessor’s words “infamous”
His successor explained on the plane that the Vatican did not agree to formal blessings of homosexual couples “beyond what was permitted by Pope Francis when he said that everyone can receive the blessing.” Then Leo added: “Francis’ infamous phrase “tutti, tutti, tutti” (“everyone, everyone, everyone”) is an expression of the Catholic Church’s belief that everyone is welcome and invited to follow Jesus.
Several dioceses in Germany interpret this differently. The Munich Marx, who has good access to Pope Leo, belongs to this progressive camp. Homosexual couples can also have themselves blessed in Limburg, Trier and Rottenburg-Stuttgart. In more conservative dioceses such as Cologne, Regensburg and Passau, however, the Bishops’ Conference’s guidelines are not used.
Leo: Morality for the church is more than sexual morality
Catholic priests in Germany have already blessed gay or lesbian couples. However, this meant that they were moving into a gray area under canon law. That’s different now. A church wedding, however, is still taboo in Germany. In the Catholic Church, marriage is reserved solely for a man and a woman.
Leo told fellow journalists on the flight home: “We have a tendency to think that when the church speaks of morality, it only speaks of sexual morality. In reality, I believe there are much bigger and more important issues such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion.”
The head of 1.4 billion Catholics visited Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea in the past week and a half on his longest foreign trip to date. The next foreign destination on the agenda for June is Spain. It will also be about the ongoing refugee movement from Africa to Europe.
Treat refugees “no worse than pets”.
After a total of eleven days in Africa, Leo called for the causes of flight to be better combated internationally. In addition to richer countries, multinational corporations would also have to make a contribution. Many people still see Africa as a continent from which mineral resources and wealth can be extracted. Regarding the fate of the refugees, the Pope said: “They are people. And we need to treat them like human beings, in a humane way – and no worse than pets.”
Leo was elected as the successor to the Argentinian Francis in May last year – he is the first pontiff in church history from the USA. Through his criticism of US President Donald Trump, he has gained a lot of positive points in Germany in recent weeks. However, with his comments about blessings for homosexual couples, he sticks to a conservative line. (sda/dpa)