Writen by sadataley 7:24 AM - 0 Comments

Pope Francis tells Archbishop of Canterbury to stand firm on traditional family values

Pope Francis has received the Archbishop of Canterbury for the first time, praising him for his stance against gay marriage and calling for united action to defend the poor.

The Archbshiop of Canterbury Justin Welby, left, is welcomed to the Vatican by Pope Francis this afternoon.

The Pope urged the Archbishop to continue proclaiming "the sacredness of human life or the importance of the institution of the family built on marriage, a value that you yourself have had occasion to recall recently".

Former oil executive Justin Welby, who was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury in March just weeks after the Pope was elected pope, earlier this month tore into the British government's gay marriage bill.

He said he "felt at home" at the Vatican, and hoped that "the closeness of the two inaugurations may serve the reconciliation of the world and the Church" – an apparent reference to the leaders' common desire to tackle secularism by going out into the streets and meeting the people.

Both the Archbishop and the Pope spoke of the importance of reaching out to the world's disadvantaged.

The Argentine Pope called on the Archbishop to help give "a voice to the cry of the poor, so that they are not abandoned to the laws of an economy that seems at times to treat people as mere consumers".

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