Pope Francis got into the Valentine's Day spirit with a special message to young people: Get married.
As a show of support for the Catholic sacrament, Pope Francis met with about 10,000 engaged couples from around the world at a gathering in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on Friday. He also pushed the message to his millions of Twitter followers.
Dear young people, don’t be afraid to marry. A faithful and fruitful marriage will bring you happiness.— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 14, 2014
In the United States, the marriage rate declined steadily between 2000 and 2011, dropping from 8.2 marriages per thousand people to 6.8, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"Today many people are afraid of making definitive decisions, that affect them for all their lives, because it seems impossible," Pope Francis told the Valentine's Day crowd, Vatican Radio reports.
Since becoming pope in March 2013, Francis has been widely popular with a 92% approval rating among American Catholics, according to a recent poll. He was named TIME magazine's person of the year for 2013.