New pope shares thoughts on gay marriage, abortion

LiveNOW 1-on-1 with the brother of Pope Leo XIV

Louis Prevost, the eldest brother of Pope Leo XIV, joins LiveNOW's Andrew Craft to talk about the whirlwind it's been since the end of the conclave. Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, spent his early life in Chicago before spending years as a missionary in Peru. Louis said he talks to his brother two to three times a week and tells us the new pope is a leading figure not just to his family, but now the entire world. Pope Leo XIV is the first American-born pope. He spoke to the media for the first time Monday in Vatican City. He will be inaugurated on Sunday, May 18, in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Leo XIV outlined a clear Catholic teaching on marriage and abortion Friday, noting that family is based on "stable union between a man and a woman" and that the unborn enjoy dignity as God’s creatures.

Leo, the first American pope, made the comments in his first meeting with the Vatican diplomatic corps. The audience was private, but the Vatican released Leo’s prepared text and that of the dean of the diplomatic corps. The meeting is one of the requirements after a conclave, allowing a new pope to greet representatives of world governments ahead of his formal installation Mass this Sunday. 

What else did Leo say? 

Leo, a member of the Augustinian religious order, also called for reviving multilateral diplomacy and promoting dialogue between religions in the search for peace. Vatican City is a sovereign state under international law, has diplomatic relations with over 180 countries and enjoys observer status at the United Nations.

What they're saying:

Leo has emphasized peace as a priority of his pontificate, from the first words he uttered on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica after his May 8 election, "Peace be with you all."

Pope Leo XIV shakes the hands and greets people of the press after an audience with thousands of journalists and media workers on May 12, 2025 at Paul VI Hall in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

He insisted that peace isn't just the absence of conflict but a "gift" that requires work, from an end to the production of weapons to choosing words carefully. 

"For words too, not only weapons, can wound and even kill," he said. 

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He said it was up to governments to build peaceful societies "above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman."

"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.

Do Leo’s comments differ from Pope Francis? 

Dig deeper:

Pope Francis strongly reaffirmed core Catholic teaching opposing abortion and euthanasia, saying they were evidence of today’s "throwaway culture." But he also made reaching out to LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark, insisting they are welcome in the church. He never changed church doctrine defining marriage as a union between man and woman and homosexual acts as "intrinsically disordered."

RELATED: Pope Leo XIV posts first message on official papal social media accounts

As the then-head of the Augustinian order, Leo in 2012 criticized the "homosexual lifestyle" and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships that conflicted with Catholic doctrine. A decade later, during Francis’ pontificate, he acknowledged Francis’ call for a more inclusive church, and said he didn’t want people excluded just on the basis of their lifestyle.