Couples need to mature "like fruit" in order to be read for marriage, Pope Francis told over 30,000 pilgrims at his general audience in St Peter's Square on Wednesday.
"Being girlfriend and boyfriend is a journey in life along which they need to mature: like fruit!" Francis said.
Many couples don't really know one another even if they have been together for along time, are physically intimate and cohabit, Francis continued.
"The Church in its wisdom makes a distinction between being going steady and being husband and wife: it is not the same thing," he said.
He recommended couples attend a course to prepare them for marriage.
Couples need help in making this "delicate and serious transition" the pontiff said, especially given the lack of support they receive all round.
"We cannot say we are generous with young people who want to set up a home and raise children - a thousand psychological and practical obstacles are often placed in their path," Francis stressed.
He urged young people to read the classic Italian historical novel 'The Betrothed' by Alessandro Manzoni, whose theme is a couple's arduous path to marriage.
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