Newly elected Pope Leo XIV has wasted no time in reaffirming traditional Catholic teaching that the family is based on the union of “a man and a woman”.

Leo was speaking to the Vatican diplomatic corps ahead of his formal installation Mass this Sunday.

He emphasised three simple, yet fundamental themes: peace, justice and truth.

He said it is the responsibility of government leaders 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.’”

He added: “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”.