After speculation of what direction the newly-elected Pope Leo XIV might take the Catholic Church in, recent comments he made at a private audience with the Vatican’s diplomatic corps indicated he intends, at least for now, to stick with the traditional teachings of the church. In his address, Pope Leo XIV stressed the importance of peace and unity. “In our dialogue, I would like us always to preserve the sense of being a family. Indeed, the diplomatic community represents the entire family of peoples, a family that shares the joys and sorrows of life and the human and spiritual values that give it meaning and direction,” he said.

The Pope expressed a desire “to reach out and embrace all individuals and peoples on the Earth, who need and yearn for truth, justice and peace” and that his own personal history in the United States, South America, and Europe had given him the aspiration to “transcend borders.” He expressed a desire for continued dialogue in the interest of peace and pushed for religious freedom in every country so that peace could be pursued by all. He also put the onus for peace on world governments. “It is the responsibility of government leaders to work 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,” he said in an indication that he would stand by the Catholic Church’s definition of marriage as being between a man and woman.

He went on to defend the marginalized, including the unborn. “In addition, 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,” he said. He pushed for the Catholic Church to be a beacon of Truth, but a truth that seeks “to confront all the more resolutely the challenges of our time.” These challenges included, “migration, the ethical use of artificial intelligence and the protection of our beloved planet Earth.”

Pope Leo XIV received praise for his words from traditional Catholics, who had expressed concerns that Pope Francis was leading the church away from traditional understandings of gender and sexuality. “Today, Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed two foundational Catholic truths,” wrote A Trad Catholic on X. “Marriage is between one man and one woman. Abortion is demonically evil. He also declared: Truth must be spoken — even with blunt language. No ambiguity. No compromise. Just clarity.”