Vatican City ? Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday praised a recent demonstration in Rome against proposed legislation granting legal rights to unmarried couples, including gay ones, saying it showed that traditional family was at the core of Italian society.

Benedict called the May 12 Family Day rally, organized by Catholic groups and family associations, a “great and extraordinary popular festival.”

Thousands of people turned out for the demonstration to protest a bill that would grant legal rights to unmarried couples, including hospital visits and inheritance rights. The bill does not legalize gay marriage, as has been done in other European countries, such as Spain.