Pope, ahead of U.S. trip, speaks of abortion, gays

By Phil Stewart

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, ahead of his first trip to the United States, praised Americans on Friday who oppose gay marriage and abortion and called for global nuclear disarmament.

In an address to new U.S. ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, Benedict touched on issues he will likely raise on his April 15-20 visit, during which he will meet President George W. Bush in Washington and address the United Nations.

The Vatican timed the April 10-15 visit to take place before the final phase of the U.S. presidential campaign in order to avoid anything that could be seen as trying to influence the vote.

But in his address to Glendon, 69, a Harvard law professor who has been a consultant to various Vatican departments, Benedict touched on sensitive political issues.

He said Americans' appreciation of religion's role in public life is "reflected in the efforts of so many of your fellow citizens and government leaders to ensure legal protection for God's gift of life from conception to natural death."

Benedict also spoke of safeguarding the family and "the institution of marriage, acknowledged as a stable union between a man and a woman."

Gay marriage is a hot political issue in the United States.

Massachusetts is the only U.S. state that allows same-sex marriage while several states allow civil unions for gay couples. More than 25 states have constitutional amendments barring same-sex marriage.