Pope Leo XIV defines marriage: “The family is father, mother, and children”

Pope Leo XIV, successor to Francis, assured that he will maintain the traditional doctrine of the Catholic Church on issues of sexuality, marriage, and ecclesial services for the LGBTQ+ community*. He also ruled out the ordination of women as deacons. In an interview that is part of the book ‘Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century’, the Pope reaffirmed that he will not promote doctrinal changes in the near future regarding same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ rights* nor the inclusion of women in certain ecclesiastical ministries. His position marks continuity with what is in force under the mandate of Francis, without opening profound reforms on these points.

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“I think it’s very unlikely, certainly in the near future, that the Church’s doctrine will change in terms of what it teaches about sexuality and marriage,” said the 70-year-old pontiff, and elected as pope on May 8, 2025. When asked about the possible role of women as deacons, the religious leader confirmed that he has no plans to ordain deaconesses, although he pointed out that women could assume leadership roles at different levels, always within traditional teaching.

Traditional Family

About the LGBTQ+ community*, Leo XIV acknowledged that it is a polarizing topic, but assured that “everyone is welcome to enter, but I do not invite a person because of whether or not they are of a specific identity”.

The pontiff also ratified his defense of the traditional family based on “father, mother, and children” in the face of what he called recent social transformations that, in his view, require reaffirming that family conception. “I believe that the role of the family in society, which has suffered in recent decades, must be recognized and strengthened once again,” he pointed out.