Vatican: Irish same-sex marriage vote a 'defeat for humanity'

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican's secretary of state called Ireland's vote to approve same-sex marriage "a defeat for humanity."

Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Tuesday evening that he was saddened by the landslide Irish vote over the weekend despite church teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman.

On Wednesday, with wedding season in full swing, Pope Francis warned couples not to marry too quickly, while also reaffirming the Vatican's opposition to same-sex nuptials.

Without mentioning Ireland's referendum vote, the pope described marriage as "the alliance of love between a man and a woman."

Addressing crowds of followers at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff urged couples to take their engagement seriously.

"Betrothal is, in other words, the time in which two people are called to work on love, a shared and profound task," he said.

Francis said the engagement period should be used as a time for couples to get to know each other better.

"Those who wish to attain everything immediately, also give up on everything straight away at the first hurdle," he said.

The pontiff likened engagement to a kind of marriage "initiation" and criticized people who don't make an effort to become close to each other.

"Many couples stay together for a long time, also intimately, at times living together, without truly knowing each other," he said.