Pope lauds old family values

  • 12 years ago
Pope Benedict weaves through a crowd numbering in the hundreds of thousands at a religious festival in Italy.

The event, an international gathering of Catholic families, brought together pilgrims from as far away as New Zealand.

The 85-year-old pontiff presided over a mass in which he defended traditional family values and spoke out against gay marriage.

He also urged followers to take a step back from the relentless pursuit of money.

SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE BENEDICT XVI SAYING:

(PARTLY OVERLAID WITH VIDEO OF PILGRIMS AND CLERGY)

"Harmonizing work schedules with family demands, professional life with motherhood, work with celebration, is important for building up a society with a human face."

During his trip, the pope no made refence to a mushrooming scandal in which insiders have alleged cronyism and corruption inside the Vatican.

Andrew Raven, Reuters