VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI yesterday 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.” Hundreds of 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 was done in other European countries, such as Spain.

The bill has angered the Vatican, which under Benedict has been conducting a fierce campaign to protect the traditional family, based on marriage between a man and a woman.

In a speech to Italian bishops, Benedict said he respected the distinction between the church and politics. But he added that the church cannot ignore “what is good for man … what is good for the common good of Italy.”

He said the Family Day rally “confirmed that the family itself is profoundly rooted in the heart and life of Italians.”