Pope Francis once again stressed the importance of children being raised by heterosexual parents on Sunday (June 14), likening a long-lasting marriage to a good wine, in which a husband and wife make the most of their gender differences.

Francis addressed a crowd of about 25,000 followers from the Diocese of Rome, saying the differences between men and women are fundamental and “an integral part of being human.”

“They’re not scared of the differences!” the pope said. “What great richness this diversity is, a diversity which becomes complementary, but also reciprocal. It binds them, one to the other.”

He stressed that heterosexual marriages ensure a couples’ happiness and are essential for good parenting.

“Children mature seeing their father and mother like this; their identity matures being confronted with the love their father and mother have, confronted with this difference,” Francis said.

The pontiff’s address came a day after Rome celebrated gay pride with a parade which included the city’s mayor, Ignazio Marino, just outside the Vatican walls.

What children need are parents. Parents who will love them, nurture them and protect them. What they don’t need is to be told that the anatomy of the parents raising them will somehow make them into better people. In fact, research shows that children raised by same sex couples do as well as those raised by heterosexual couples.

h/t: WashingtonPost