Pope Leo XIV confirms marriage is between a man and a woman

Pope Leo XIV on Friday affirmed in an address to the Vatican diplomatic corps that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that unborn children should be treated with dignity. 

The new pope, who was elected to lead the Catholic Church last week after the death of the late Pope Francis, is the first American pope in history. 

The pope emphasized his commitment to help foster peace, justice and truth to other civilizations, and said the mission could be achieved by investing in families.

“It is the responsibility of government leaders to work to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies. This can be achieved above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman, ‘a small but genuine society, and prior to all civil society,'” Pope Leo XIV said. 

“In addition, no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike,” he added.

The message is expected to be reassuring to people who were skeptical of the new pope, because of his connection as an adviser to Francis, who was known for being more progressive on multiple issues, including a tolerance for homosexuality.

The new pope has appeared more liberal on matters like immigration, but he is more conservative on issues like gender.

The comments come ahead of Leo's first inaugural mass, which will take place on Sunday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance will be in attendance. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.