Crowds flocked to see the Pope
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The government has introduced a number of reforms including gay marriage, but the Pope insisted there were some things the Church had to reject.
"The family is a unique institution in God's plan, and the church cannot fail to proclaim and promote its fundamental importance," he said.
He also prayed at the scene of a subway crash which killed 42 people on Monday.
The Pope met relatives of some of the underground crash victims
"We ask God's comfort for those who remain and those who left us," he said.
The crash, the worst on the underground in Spanish history, happened when the train entered a station at double its normal speed.
Later in the Pope's visit, around one million people are expected to attend an open-air mass being celebrated in a park on Sunday.
As he arrived for his 24-hour visit, the Pope was met at the airport by King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
It comes a year after the Spanish government legalised marriage between homosexuals, sparking a bitter dispute with Spain's Catholic bishops.
The Pope and Mr Zapatero will hold talks, but Spanish officials say Mr Zapatero will not attend Sunday's mass.
Pope Benedict XVI, with Spain's King Juan Carlos, waves to a cheering crowd upon his arrival at Manises airport, near Valencia, Spain, Saturday, July 8, 2006.

Pope Benedict XVI visited the city of Valencia in Spain. During his visit, he encouraged his followers in the country to defend traditional family values.

The government in Spain has introduced a number of reforms including gay marriage.

"It is a man and a woman who are made for each other and made to give humanity a future" said the Pope. "The family is a unique institution in God's plan, and the church cannot fail to proclaim and promote its fundamental importance," he said. 

He arrived for a 24-hour visit and was met at an airport by King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofía, and Prime Minister José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero.

"The presence of your holiness brings great relief to everyone, especially to families who have lost loved ones," the king said in a welcoming speech.

The pope also met relatives of some of the underground crash victims. He prayed at the scene of a subway crash that killed 42 people on Monday. "We ask God's comfort for those who remain and those who left us," he said.
 
The pope will have a Mass tomorrow, which will close the visit. Zapatero said that he would not attend the mass on Sunday.