Pope Francis said yesterday that the disparity in salaries between men and women around the world was "pure scandal".

Speaking at his weekly audience in St Peter's Square, the Pontiff said: "Why is it taken for granted that women must earn less than men? No! They have the same rights," adding that Christians should support the idea of equal pay for equal work.

On average, women in the EU earn 16 per cent less than men per hour, despite the fact that women generally perform better at school and university, according to a report by the European Commission.

The Pope's remarks were part of a broader reflection on marriage and the family. Discussing the causes of family breakdown, the Pope said that the "Christian seed of radical equality between men and women must bring new fruits" in our time.

He spoke of the need for Christian couples to recognise that they marry "not only for themselves but for the good of the community and for all of society."

But while celebrating women's equality with men he also said it was important to recognise the differences between men and women within the family. "We must recognize the maternity of women and the paternity of men as a perennially valid treasure, for the benefit of children," he said.

The Pope also spoke about gender equality in last week's general audience. Referring to the story of creation he said: "The woman is not a 'replica' of the man; she comes directly from the creative act of God. The image of the 'rib' does not in any way express inferiority or subordination, but on the contrary, that man and woman are of the same substance and are complementary."

He said the presence of sin in the world has damaged the relationship between men and women, and spoke of the "negative excesses of patriarchal cultures".

"The sin generates distrust and division between the man and the woman," he said. "Their relationship will be undermined by a thousand kinds of abuse and subjugation, of deceitful seduction and demeaning humiliations, up to the most dramatic and violent."

The Pope has spoken before of the need for women to take on greater responsibilities in the Church, though in keeping with Orthodox Catholic teaching does not support the idea of a female priesthood.