Pope Leo says blessing same-sex weddings is 'not what the Church teaches'

['Ryan Adamczeski', 'Ryan Is A Reporter At The Advocate', "A Graduate Of New York University Tisch'S Department Of Dramatic Writing", 'With A Focus In Television Writing', 'Comedy. She First Became A Published Author At The Age Of With Her Ya Novel', "Someone Else'S Stars", 'Is Now A Member Of Galeca', 'The Lgbtq', 'Society Of Entertainment Critics', 'The Ire'] Advocate.com 2025-09-19 17:20:18

Pope Leo is continuing his predecessor's decision to bless same-sex couples — so long as they don't look too much like a wedding. "I’ve already spoken about marriage, as did Pope Francis when he was pope, about a family being a man and a woman in solemn commitment, blessed in the sacrament of marriage," Leo said. "But even to say that, I understand some people will take that badly." Pope Francis released the document in December, 2023 formally approving priests to bless same-sex couples, so long as the blessing does not resemble a wedding. Pope Leo's views on the LGBTQ+ community have not been widely reported, though he has so far taken Pope Francis' approach of preaching compassion without changing church teaching on marriage equality or the ordination of women.