Pope Leo XIV has delivered a clear and public rebuke to the German Catholic Church, stating that Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s formalized same-sex blessing program in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising exceeds what the Vatican authorizes and risks damaging the unity of the global Church.
Speaking to journalists aboard the papal flight returning from Malabo, Guinea, on April 23, Leo said the Holy See “does not agree with the formalised blessing of couples… beyond what was specifically allowed for by Pope Francis.” His remarks represent the most direct intervention from Rome since Cardinal Marx instituted a structured pastoral framework requiring priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples and others in “irregular” relationships — including training programs for clergy and provisions requiring objecting priests to refer couples to more willing colleagues.
The Vatican’s 2023 declaration under Francis, Fiducia Supplicans, had permitted informal, spontaneous, non-liturgical blessings while explicitly warning against creating ceremonies that could resemble marriage. Critics have long argued that the German program — with its structured protocols, training requirements, and mandatory referral provisions — crosses precisely that line. Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne has already rejected the German guidelines outright, calling them a violation of Vatican limits. African and Eastern European bishops have voiced similar opposition.
Pope Leo also struck a pastoral note, reiterating the Church’s universal call to welcome all people — but framed explicitly in terms of individual blessing and conversion rather than recognition of relationships. “All are invited… to follow Jesus, and all are invited to look for conversion in their lives,” he said.