The statements came mid-flight. During the press conference aboard the papal plane on the way back from his first African tour, Leo XIV was clear when asked about recent decisions taken in Germany: the Holy See does not agree with the formal blessing of same-sex couples or couples in irregular situations, a position already conveyed formally to German bishops.

But the message came with an important nuance. The Pontiff stressed that all people are welcome in the Church and can receive an individual blessing at the end of a Mass or in large gatherings. He recalled Pope Francis’s phrase “Tutti, tutti, tutti”, everyone, everyone, everyone, as a sign that every person is invited to follow Jesus and seek personal conversion.

The intervention responded to a specific case. German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, authorized days ago the blessing of same-sex couples in his diocese, in line with guidance drafted by the German Bishops’ Conference. That decision opened a new front of internal tension in the universal Church.

Leo XIV called for lowering the tone of the debate. “The unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual issues,” he said, insisting there are more pressing matters to address, such as justice, equality, the freedom of men and women, and religious freedom. An invitation not to reduce Christian morality to the sexual realm.