Vatican City  - Pope Benedict XVI received Thursday a group of bishops from Bangladesh, urging them do more to help men and women in their country prepare for married life.

"Many of your people suffer from poverty, isolation or discrimination, and they look to you for spiritual guidance," Benedict told the prelates during a meeting at the Vatican.

Bishops who are called to be "be patient, mild and gentle" should ensure that a sufficient number of lay Catholics be trained in spreading the Church's teachings, especially in preparing couples for marriage, the pontiff said.

Such training was need to help young men and women recognize that matrimony is a "life-long covenant of faithful love," and "a path to holiness," Benedict said.

The pope also spoke of the "many vocations" by men and women who have chosen to become priests or nuns in Bangladesh, a Muslim majority country where Catholics account for less than 0.3 per cent of the population, estimated to number 150 million.

Benedict also told the bishops of the importance of inter- religious dialogue based on mutual respect and truth which, he said, "cannot fail to have a positive influence on the social climate of your country".

To achieve this, lay Catholics needed to be prepared by the Church with a deeper knowledge of their own faith and also an "understanding of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and the other religions present in your region," Benedict said. (dpa)