Pope Leo XIV says Vatican does not agree with formal blessings for same-sex couples in Germany

Apr 24, 2026, 10:05

Introduction

Pope Leo XIV spoke on a plane after visiting Africa. He said the Vatican does not agree with some German church leaders. These leaders give formal blessings to same-sex couples. This shows a difference between the Vatican and parts of the German Catholic Church.

Main Body

Cardinal Reinhard Marx is a leader in Germany. He said yes to formal blessings for same-sex couples in his area. Pope Francis said in 2023 that all people can get a blessing, but not a formal one. Pope Leo said the Vatican does not agree with formal blessings. Some German dioceses like Limburg, Trier, and Rottenburg-Stuttgart do these blessings. Other dioceses like Cologne, Regensburg, and Passau do not. Church marriage is only for a man and a woman. Pope Leo also said the church should talk more about justice and equality. He just finished a 10-day trip to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. In these places, the church is growing and people have traditional ideas about sexuality.

Conclusion

The Pope''s words show the Vatican''s strong position against formal blessings for same-sex couples. The German church leaders and the Vatican still disagree. There is no answer yet.

Vocabulary Learning

agree
To have the same opinion as someone.同意
Example:The Pope does not agree with the German leaders.
blessing
A prayer asking God to help someone.祝福
Example:The church gives a blessing to people.
church
A place where Christians go to pray.教堂
Example:The church is a place for prayer.
couple
Two people who are together, like a man and a woman.伴侶
Example:The couple got a blessing from the church.
leader
A person who guides or controls a group.領袖
Example:The church leader said no to the idea.

Sentence Learning

Pope Leo XIV spoke on a plane after visiting Africa.
Simple past tense: subject (Pope Leo XIV) + verb (spoke) + prepositional phrase (on a plane) + time clause (after visiting Africa).本句為簡單過去式：主語（Pope Leo XIV）加動詞（spoke）加介詞短語（on a plane）加時間從句（after visiting Africa）。
These leaders give formal blessings to same-sex couples.
Simple present tense: subject (These leaders) + verb (give) + object (formal blessings) + prepositional phrase (to same-sex couples).本句為簡單現在式：主語（These leaders）加動詞（give）加賓語（formal blessings）加介詞短語（to same-sex couples）。
Cardinal Reinhard Marx is a leader in Germany.
Simple present tense with 'be' verb: subject (Cardinal Reinhard Marx) + verb (is) + noun phrase (a leader) + prepositional phrase (in Germany).本句為簡單現在式，使用be動詞：主語（Cardinal Reinhard Marx）加動詞（is）加名詞短語（a leader）加介詞短語（in Germany）。
Church marriage is only for a man and a woman.
Simple present tense with 'be' verb: subject (Church marriage) + verb (is) + adverb (only) + prepositional phrase (for a man and a woman).本句為簡單現在式，使用be動詞：主語（Church marriage）加動詞（is）加副詞（only）加介詞短語（for a man and a woman）。
There is no answer yet.
Existential 'there' structure: 'There is' + noun phrase (no answer) + adverb (yet).本句為存在句結構：'There is' 加名詞短語（no answer）加副詞（yet）。