Pope, in Spain, hails traditional values

VALENCIA, Spain, July 9 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI told an outdoor mass in Valencia, Spain Sunday that marriage between a man and a woman was part of God's "loving plan."

The pope told hundreds of thousands of worshippers attending the service that traditional marriage is inspired by God.

"The family, founded upon an indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman, creates a domain in which man can be born in dignity," the pope said.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia attended the service, but Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, did not, which prompted papal officials to express a "certain irritation," EuroNews reports. The prime minister had a 15-minute meeting with Benedict Saturday afternoon.

Since his March 2004 election, Zapatero has legalized gay marriage, eased divorce and abortion laws and encouraged stem-cell research.

The divorce rate in Spain now runs at about 50 percent. And only a fraction Spain's Catholics follow the church's doctrine on birth control and premarital sex, Time magazine reports.

Benedict visited Spain for 26 hours to address a worldwide church meeting on the family and to support the church's "traditional values."