Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

The U.S. bishops approved a statement on pornography on Nov. 17 at their fall general meeting in Baltimore. “Producing or using pornography is gravely wrong. It is a mortal sin if it is committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent,” said the approved version of “Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography.” According to the document, the sin of using or producing pornography requires “the Lord’s forgiveness and should be confessed within the sacrament of penance and reconciliation.” It adds, “Those who produce and distribute pornography harm the common good by encouraging and even causing others to sin.” Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, N.Y., chairman of the committee that prepared the statement, described pornography as a “dark shadow in our world today.” He said that it is a “particularly sinister instance of consumption” whereby men, women and children “are consumed for the pleasure of others.”

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

“His presence brings prestige to our nation and to the entire Group of 7. It is the first time that a pope will participate in the work of the G7,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
Gerard O’ConnellApril 26, 2024
“Many conflicting, divergent and often contradictory views of the human person have found wide acceptance … they have led to holders of traditional theories being cancelled or even losing their jobs,” the bishops said.
Robots can give you facts. But they can’t give you faith.
Delaney CoyneApril 26, 2024
Sophie Nélisse as Irene Gut Opdyke, left, stars in a scene from the movie “Irena's Vow.” (OSV news photo/Quiver)
“Irena’s Vow” is true story of a Catholic nurse who used her position to shelter a dozen Jews in World War II-era Poland.
Ryan Di CorpoApril 26, 2024