Featured Image Credit: TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Pope Francis, Pope Leo, Sex and Relationships
Mia Williams
Topics: Pope Francis, Pope Leo, Sex and Relationships
Pope Leo has addressed the controversial catholic issues of marriage and abortion for the first time since being elected, and people have been left divided.
It was announced earlier this month (8 May) that Robert Francis Prevost would be the new head of the Catholic Church and will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
The Chicago-born pope has already had his first official mass in the new role, but things seem to be getting slightly more challenging for him, as he starts to address catholic controversies that date back centuries - namely marriage and abortion.
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The catholic church believes in a principle known as the 'sanctity of life' - which suggests that every human was made in God's image.
For this reason, and others, they are categorically against abortion and assisted dying, but they also have strong opinions on what a 'traditional' family looks like.
Pope Leo addressed these issues for the first time earlier today (16 May), and while his predecessor Pope Francis was viewed as one of the most progressive popes of recent history, Leo's views are very straightforward.
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AP News reports that the pontiff declared that a 'family' is founded on the 'stable union between a man and a woman' - a statement which quite clearly excludes any non-heteronormative relationships.
He also declared that the unborn and elderly enjoy dignity as God’s creatures, referencing the clear catholic teaching on the sanctity of life.
People have been left divided over his comments from earlier today, with some suggesting they are outdated, and others suggesting they're just traditionally catholic - he is the pope after all.
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One user online said: "Dear Pope. Mixed marriages should now be recognised."
Another added: "No God worth worshipping would want it’s people to stay in an abusive or damaging relationship, neither would it want a child to be born of suffering."
While others saw a different side.
"Well, a Pope who reads and believes the word of God, how refreshing," one user noted.
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"Hardly a surprise," another said.
But it isn't the first time we have heard Leo make similar claims.
In 2012, when he was the then-head of the Augustinian order, Leo criticised the 'homosexual lifestyle'.
He noted a problem with the mass media in promoting the acceptance of same-sex relationships.
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However, a decade later, during Francis' time in the role, Leo acknowledged Francis' call for a more inclusive church, and said he didn’t want people excluded just on the basis of their lifestyle.