VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV affirmed Friday that the family is founded on the “stable union between a man and a woman,” and that the newborn and the elderly enjoy dignity as creatures of God, articulating clear Catholic teaching on marriage and abortion at the start of his pontificate.

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Leon, the first American pope, also called for revitalizing multilateral diplomacy and promoting interfaith dialogue in the pursuit of peace in his first meeting with the Vatican’s diplomatic corps. The audience was private, but the Vatican released Leon’s prepared text and that of the deceased members of the diplomatic corps.

The bursar is one of the protocol requirements after a conclave, allowing a new pope to greet representatives of world governments before his formal investiture Mass this Sunday. The Holy See is a sovereign state governed by international law, maintains diplomatic relations with more than 180 countries, and enjoys observer status at the United Nations.

Leo, a member of the Augustinian religious order, has emphasized peace as a priority of his pontificate, from the first words he spoke in the gallery of St. Peter’s Basilica after his election on May 8, “Peace be with you all.”

In his remarks, he said the pursuit of peace was one of the pillars of the papacy. He insisted that peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but a gift that requires work, from preparation to the crafting of weapons and the careful choice of words.

“Because words, not just weapons, can hurt and even kill.”

He said it is the responsibility of governments to build peaceful societies “above all by investing in the family, founded on a stable relationship between men and women.”

“Furthermore, we are all obligated to strive to ensure respect for the dignity of all people, especially the most fragile and vulnerable, from workers to the elderly, from the sick to employees, citizens and immigrants alike,” he said.

Pope Francis strongly reaffirmed fundamental Catholic doctrine opposing abortion and euthanasia, asserting that they were evidence of the current “throwaway culture.” But he also made outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark, insisting they are welcome in the Church. He overturned Church doctrine that defines marriage as a union between men and women and homosexual acts as “tripartitely disordered.”

As leader of the Augustipian order, Reverend Robert Prevost criticized the “homosexual lifestyle” and the media’s role in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships, which contradicted Catholic doctrine, in 2012. A decade later, during Francis’s papacy, he acknowledged his call for a more inclusive church and stated that he did not want people to be excluded solely because of their lifestyle.