Pope Francis has urged Slovenians to uphold ‘family values,’ four days before the Catholic-majority country votes in a referendum on gay marriage.

Without explicitly bringing up the issue, the pontiff addressed Slovenian pilgrims during a general audience at St Peter Square on Wednesday (16 December).

‘I wish to encourage all Slovenians, especially those in public capacity, to preserve the family as the basic unit of society,’ he said.

In February, the Slovenian parliament passed an amendment to the Marriage and Family Relations Act extending all marriage rights, including adoption, to gay couples.

However, gay marriage opponents successfully gathered more than 40,000 signatures to force a referendum on the issue.

Slovenia will go to the polls on Sunday and if 20% of voters oppose the law, it will be scrapped.

‘The rights of a minority, particularly to equality, shouldn’t be subject to removal by the whim of the majority,’ said Boris Dittrich, LGBT rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.

‘The right to marry is a fundamental right, as is the right not to be discriminated against, and same-sex couples should not be denied the right to marriage equality.’