Pope, at press conference, weighs in on Iran, migration, same-sex blessings

April 23, 2026

Following a farewell ceremony at Malabo International Airport, Pope Leo XIV departed for Rome this afternoon on a six-hour flight. During the flight, he delivered a brief statement and took questions from reporters, weighing in on Iran, immigration, and blessings for same-sex couples (video).

During the press conference, Pope Leo said that his journey “should be understood above all as an expression of the desire to proclaim the Gospel, to announce the message of Jesus Christ, which is a way of drawing close to the people in their happiness, in the depth of their faith, but also in their suffering.”

“It is also important to speak with Heads of State, to encourage a change of mindset or greater openness to thinking about the common good, and to consider issues such as the distribution of a country’s resources,” he added, as he expressed joy in the trip.

Asked by an Italian reporter whether he supports regime change in Iran, the Pope said:

I would like to begin by saying that we must promote a new attitude and a culture of peace. Very often, when we assess certain situations, the immediate response is that we must go in with violence, with war, with attacks. What we have seen is that many innocent people have died ...The issue is not whether there is regime change or not; the issue is how to promote the values we believe in without the death of so many innocent people.

The situation in Iran is clearly very complex. Even the negotiations themselves—one day Iran says yes and the United States says no, and vice versa—and we do not know where things are heading. This chaotic, critical situation for the global economy has been created, but there is also an entire population in Iran of innocent people suffering because of this war. So, on regime change, yes or no: it is not even clear what regime currently exists after the first days of attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran.

Asked by a Spanish journalist about migration, the Pope said that “my answer begins with a question: what is the Global North doing to help the Global South, or those countries where young people today cannot find a future and therefore dream of moving north?”

“Everyone wants to go north, but often the North has no answers on how to offer them opportunities,” he continued. “Many suffer. The issue of human trafficking is also part of migration.”

The Pope added:

Personally, I believe that a State has the right to regulate its borders. I am not saying that everyone must be allowed to enter without order, sometimes creating in destination countries situations more unjust than those they left behind. But that said, I ask myself: what are we doing in richer countries to change the situation in poorer countries? Why can we not try, both through state aid and through the investments of large wealthy companies and multinationals, to change the situation in countries like those we visited on this visit? ...

I would like to make is that, in any case, they are human beings, and we must treat human beings humanely, not treat them worse than animals, as often happens. It is a very big challenge: a country can say it cannot receive more than a certain number of people, but when people arrive, they are human beings and deserve the respect that belongs to every human being because of their dignity.

Asked about the destination of his next (unscheduled) trip, the Pope said, “I have a strong desire to visit several countries in Latin America. So far, nothing is confirmed; we will wait and see.”

Asked by a French reporter about his meetings with authoritarian leaders in Africa, Pope Leo said:

I would go back to something I said in my initial remarks about the importance of understanding the primary purpose of the travel that I do, that the Pope does, to visit the people, and of the great value that the system, that the Holy See continues with, at times, great sacrifice, to maintain diplomatic relations with countries throughout the world. And sometimes we have diplomatic relationships with countries that have authoritarian leaders.

We have the opportunity to speak with them on a diplomatic level, on a formal level. We don’t always make great proclamations—criticizing, judging, or condemning. But there’s an awful lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to promote justice, to promote humanitarian causes, to look for, at times, situations where there may be political prisoners, and finding a way for them to be freed.

The Pope added, “The Holy See, by maintaining, if you will, a neutrality and looking for ways to continue our positive diplomatic relationship with so many different countries, we’re actually trying to find a way to apply the Gospel to concrete situations so that the lives of people can be improved.”

Asked by a German reporter about Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s approval of blessings for same-sex couples, Pope Leo said:

First of all, I think it’s very important to understand that the unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters. We tend to think that when the Church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues, such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue.

The Holy See has already spoken to the German bishops. The Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formalized blessing of couples, in this case, homosexual couples, as you asked, or couples in irregular situations, beyond what was specifically, if you will, allowed for by Pope Francis in saying all people receive blessings ...

All are invited to follow Jesus, and all are invited to look for conversion in their lives. To go beyond that today, I think that the topic can cause more disunity than unity, and that we should look for ways to build our unity upon Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ teaches. So that’s how I would respond to that question.

Asked a final question about government oppression in Iran, including public hangings, Pope Leo said:

I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected and that all people—from conception to natural [death]—their lives should be respected and protected. So when a regime, when a country takes decisions which takes away the lives of other people unjustly, then obviously that is something that should be condemned.

 

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Further information:

• Pope: As a pastor, I cannot be in favor of war; too many innocents have died (Vatican News, 4/23/26)