Addressing French bishops in Lourdes, Pope Benedict reaffirmed the Church could not recognise "irregular unions" of Catholics who divorce and remarry outside the Church. "Initiatives aimed at blessing irregular unions cannot be admitted," Pope Benedict told the bishops.
The Pope also defended the classical conception of marriage between man and woman.
"The stable union of a man and a woman, ordered to building earthly happiness through the birth of children given by God, is no longer, in the minds of certain people, the reference point for conjugal commitment", he said.
"However, experience shows the family is the foundation on which the whole of society rests. Moreover, Christians know that the family is also the living cell of the Church. The more the family is steeped in the spirit and values of the Gospel, the more the Church herself will be enriched by them and the better she will fulfil her vocation."
Catholic News Service also reports that in his final Mass at Lourdes, Pope Benedict later also encouraged thousands of sick people at Lourdes to seek solace in Mary's smile and maternal love.
Their devotion to Mary at a time of need is not "pious infantilism" but a sign of the highest spiritual maturity, the Pope said on September 15.
The Pope administered the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to 10 people during the liturgy. Addressing each by name, he gently anointed their foreheads and hands with oil and invoked the mercy of the Lord.
In his sermon, the pope said devotion to Mary can help break the isolation of suffering. Far from being an act of "outmoded sentimentality," he said, turning to Mary demonstrates that people "know precisely how to acknowledge their weakness and their poverty before God."
He recalled that St Bernadette Soubirous, who experienced visions of Mary 150 years ago in Lourdes, first noticed Mary's smile. This smile remains a source of hope for many who endure illness and distress, he said.
"Unfortunately, we know only too well: The endurance of suffering can upset life's most stable equilibrium, it can shake the firmest foundations of confidence," he said.
"By immersing themselves in the baths at Lourdes, how many people have discovered and experienced the gentle maternal love of the Virgin Mary, becoming attached to her in order to bind themselves more closely to the Lord," he said.
The pope made a point of thanking the many people who accompany the sick to Lourdes and help care for them during their stay. These volunteers "are the arms of the servant Church," and so are the many Catholics around the world who regularly visit the sick, he said. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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(Source: CN)