21/10/2026
Pope Leo XIV has reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s traditional teaching on marriage, emphasizing that the mutual self-giving of a man and a woman establishes an exclusive and enduring union.
Speaking at his general audience on October 21, the Holy Father stressed that spouses become “one flesh,” a bond calling them to total fidelity and lifelong commitment. He also highlighted marriage’s openness to the gift of children and the responsibility of parents to raise them.
This teaching reflects the Church’s longstanding understanding of marriage as more than a civil arrangement or romantic relationship. In Catholic teaching, marriage is a covenant ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children, and between baptized Christians it is a sacrament.
Pope Leo’s message reminds Catholics that marriage is a vocation of faithful love, mutual sacrifice, and responsibility—a lifelong journey in which husband and wife are called to reflect Christ’s love.
“Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” — Mark 10:9