CNS PHOTO | PAUL HARING Pope Benedict waves after praying the Angelus at the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sept. 30.

Christian politicians have a duty to protect human life, traditional marriage and the common good, Pope Benedict said.

All Christians are called upon to defend and promote human dignity, and “this responsibility particularly concerns those called to political office,” he told representatives of Christian Democratic parties from around the world.

The Old Testament warning that “judgment is stern” for those in high places is “highly beneficial,” the pope said, because it is “a warning given not to frighten but to spur and encourage those in government, at all levels, to achieve all the good of which they are capable, in keeping with the mission the Lord entrusts to each one.”