Pope stresses family values in Spain
VALENCIA, Spain (Reuters) - Pope Benedict urged Spain on Saturday to defend traditional values in a country where the Catholic church and Socialist government have clashed head-on over the legalization of gay marriage. Hundreds of thousands of people cheered the Pope's remarks at a family rally in the coastal city of Valencia. By contrast, crowds booed and whistled Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose government has pushed through various laws to prize away the Church's traditional grip on Spanish society. At an evening celebration with pilgrims from around the world, the Pope urged politicians to value the traditional family. "This is the best way to counter a widespread hedonism which reduces human relations to banality and empties them of their authentic value and beauty," he said, to waves of applause.
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