Pope Benedict XVI told thousands of Mexicans at a conference on the family that only an "undissolvable marriage between a man and a woman" ought to be at the heart of a family.In a video address on the last day of the World Meeting of Families here Sunday, the pontiff argued with more than 22,000 people on hand that, "due to its essential social function, the family has the right to be recognized with its own identity and not to be confused with other forms of cohabitation."
The pope said that personal freedom had been taken to capricious extremes, making it hard for the family to do its educating work.
Mexico City was the first place in this majority Roman Catholic country to adopt after noisy debate same-sex unions, legal abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, assisted suicide and quick divorce.
The meeting is the first to take place without the pope's presence since it was created in 1994 by the late John Paul II, who visited Mexico five times during his papacy, gathering massive crowds.
Current 81-year-old Pope Benedict XVI, who seldom travels abroad, was thought to have pulled out of the event due to the high altitude of the Mexican capital, at more than 2,200 meters (7,300 feet) above sea level.
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(Source: AFP)