Pope John Paul defended the institution of marriage against those who are trying to "degrade" it, urging authorities to uphold the traditional union between men and women.
Speaking at a time when gay marriages are making headlines in the United States, the pope said in a speech over the weekend that marriage is "a pillar of society ... on which the natural institution of the family is built".
"This is a time when there is no lack of attempts to reduce marriage to a mere individual contract, with characteristics very different from those that belong to marriage and the family, and that end up degrading it," the pope said.
San Francisco is currently at the centre of a heated debate in the United States over same-sex marriages.
Around 3,400 gay couples have wedded there since same-sex marriage licences were first granted a little over two weeks ago.
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