Pope Says Marriage Is Between Heterosexuals

'Family life is sanctified in the joining of man and woman in the sacramental institution of holy matrimony,' he said in an address to visiting American bishops.

'The Church teaches that the love of man and woman made holy in the sacrament of marriage is a mirror of God's everlasting love for his creation,' he said.

The 84-year-old pope told the bishops it was 'fundamental that Christian marriage be comprehended in the fullest sense and be presented both as a natural institution and a sacramental reality.'