Ariana Baio
Oct 26, 2022
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Pope Francis warned priests and nuns within the Catholic Church to avoid consuming online pornography as it "weakens the soul".
Over the last week, the pope met with young seminarians studying in Rome Italy and gave them some advice regarding technology usage.
In a speech published by the Vatican, one seminary asked Pope Francis, 85, how to go about using social media.
Although Pope Francis said he believes social media and digital devices should be used "because it is an advancement of science," he explained that they should be careful about temptation.
“It is a vice that has so many people, so many So many laymen, so many laywomen, and also priests and nuns," the pope said.
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"The devil enters from there. And I’m not just talking about criminal pornography such as child abuse: where you see cases of abuse in vivo: this is already degeneration," Pope Francis said. "But a bit of "normal" pornography."
The pope encouraged anyone with online pornography on their phones to "delete it, so you won't have the temptation in hand."
\u201cPope Francis felt the need to clarify that he was not just talking about \u201ccriminal pornography, like child abuse,\u201d but legal \u201c\u2018normal\u2019 pornography.\u201d\n\nHe didn't provide any feedback on what he thinks constitutes \u201cnormal pornography.\u201d\u201d— Gustavo Turner (@Gustavo Turner) 1666807349
The Catholic Church has infamously run into sex abuse scandals over the years involving priests and children. The topic of lust and sex has become a touchy one.
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