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National Scorn For Porn
Bishop’s pastoral letter is latest Catholic effort
BY NICK MANETTO Register Correspondent December 17-23, 2006 Issue
Posted 12/13/06 at 8:00 AM
ARLINGTON, Va. — The
leader of one of the nation’s fastest-growing dioceses has issued a stern
warning about pornography. In doing so he has joined a national Catholic effort
to counter pornography’s growing prevalance.
Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde’s
newest pastoral letter excoriates pornography and urges his flock to adopt a
heightened state of vigilance.
Calling pornography an evil plague
that is ravaging society, Bishop Loverde uses strong
and unambiguous language in his 20-page teaching titled “Bought with a Price:
Pornography and the Attack on the Living Temple of God” to rebuke oft-repeated
defenses of pornography.
Bishop Loverde
then goes on to speak to the youth, married and engaged couples, and even
priests of the diocese to provide advice and counsel to guard against addiction
or to break free of its grip.
“I believe it is the
responsibility of all Catholics to bring this issue out of the darkness and
into the light,” Bishop Loverde said in an interview.
“It is certainly something that needs to be discussed, as it is only becoming
more common and accepted with the passing of time.”
Australian Cardinal George Pell of
Sydney issued a
pastoral letter on pornography and sex addiction titled “Sexual Sickness” this
past July. Bishop Loverde’s pastoral letter is the
first one dedicated exclusively to this issue in the United States.
Bishop Loverde,
who is active with the Religious Alliance Against
Pornography, said he felt compelled to write the letter after hearing from
priests, counselors, teachers, youth ministers and other diocesan officials
about the extent of pornography’s damage.
“The threat of pornography is
always a necessary and timely issue. It is pervasive and constant in our
society,” Bishop Loverde said.
25-Year Struggle
Ken Henderson knows what it’s like
to be trapped in the vice of pornography.
Addicted for more than 25 years, Henderson would go on to
defeat his dependence, embrace Catholicism and found the apostolate True
Knights, which is dedicated to helping men fight such addictions.
Founded in September 2004, the
apostolate recently received approval and blessing from Bishop Edward Slattery
of Tulsa, Okla.
“I am thankful that our leadership
is taking a closer look at this problem. I’m encouraged when I see our bishops,
archbishops and cardinals taking a closer look at this issue that is so
prevalent in society and the Church,” Henderson
said in reaction to Bishop Loverde’s letter.
True Knights works with men ages
18 to 70 and has been receiving an increasing number of contacts. Yet still
greater public awareness about the evils of pornography is needed going forward.
“We should not be afraid to raise
this topic,’ he said. “This problem is not going to go away by sticking our
heads in the sand. It’s here to stay. The Internet has made it an enormous
problem for so many people because of easy access to pornography.”
According to Henderson, the majority
of men who turn to the True Knights for assistance understand their faith and
agree with Church teachings, yet still become addicted.
He sees greater acceptance of
sexual immorality in society as a chief culprit as it has led to much greater
acceptance of pornographic images. “Things on prime time television today would
have been R- rated or X-rated in the 1950s.”
Dioceses Take Action
True Knights is not alone in its
work. A quick Internet search for “pornography” and “addiction” unveils scores
of sites offering assistance, and dioceses throughout the country are taking
concrete actions.
Last month, the Colorado Catholic Herald, the diocesan
paper of Colorado Springs, Colo., ran a special 12-page supplement on
pornography and sex addiction.
In late October, Cardinal William
Keeler of Baltimore
urged Catholics to mark Pornography Awareness Week by donning white ribbons.
The Diocese of Austin, Texas, has
formed an Anti-Pornography Task Force and just launched a website titled
“Pornography Isn’t Pretty” that posts news reports and studies to make the case
that “pornography is not a harmless product but a tumor that needs to be
removed in its entirety from the face of the human community.”
Helen Osman,
director of communications for the diocese and a task force member, said the
idea was born from priests who were being inundated with requests for help from
parishioners addicted to pornography.
The site is accessible via the
diocese’s website, but was purposely designed to have a different look so as
not to discourage visitors.
“We wanted the site to be friendly
for those who might be intimidated in going to a ‘church’ site,” Osman said.
Other anti-pornography projects in
the works include panel discussions, a speakers’ bureau, and formation of
support groups for addicts and their families, Osman
said. The diocese, which covers 25 counties in central Texas, is also working to translate the site
into Spanish.
‘Mainstreaming’
Bishop Loverde
begins his letter by recounting pornography’s evolution from “what was once the
shameful and occasional vice of the few” to “mainstream entertainment for the
many.”
“There has been a seismic shift in
the public perception of pornography over the last 20 years,” he said. “This
debasement of our daily experience not only coarsens our understanding of each
other, but serves as a ‘gateway’ to pornographic defilement.”
Bishop Loverde
articulates how pornography, far from being a victimless crime, exploits its
subjects, dehumanizes its viewers, and inflicts significant damages on
families, especially spouses and children.
“This plague stalks the souls of
men, women and children, ravages the bonds of marriage and victimizes the most
innocent among us. It obscures and destroys people’s ability to see one another
as unique and beautiful expressions of God’s creation, instead darkening their
vision, causing them to view others as objects to be used and manipulated,” he
wrote.
In his letter, Bishop Loverde provides specific points of counsel that can be used
by all of the faithful struggling to attain a state of purity in a world where
pornography is gaining acceptance.
Young people are urged to dress
with modesty and to avoid impure speech and entertainment. Husbands are
directed to honor their wedding vows. Parents are cautioned to strictly monitor
their children’s use of the Internet and other media, and priests are directed
to engage in frequent and open spiritual direction and to seek assistance from
fellow priests as needed.
To help combat pornography, Bishop
Loverde plans to send his letter to his brother
bishops. At the same time, he sees the war against pornography as a spiritual
battle and, after much reflection, included frequent calls for prayer to St. Joseph in his letter.
As we near Christmas and the time
of year in which Catholics increasingly turn their eyes toward Christ’s father
on earth, Bishop Loverde hopes Catholics will offer
St. Joseph prayers to win this fight.
“It was with a great deal of
reflection that I decided to tie this initiative to St. Joseph, the perfect example of purity,”
he said. “This is a spiritual battle and so should be treated like one from the
outset. I ask all of the faithful to examine their own lives in the light of
the exemplar of all fathers and to join in prayer for assistance in this
struggle.”
Nick Manetto is
based in Reston, Virginia.
Pornography Facts
— Sex is the No. 1
searched for topic on the Internet.
— 60% of all
website visits are sexual in nature.
— There are 1.3
million pornographic websites — 20 times more than there were 5 years ago. More
than 32 million unique individuals visited a porn site in Sept. of 2003.
— The total porn
industry generates approximately $4 billion to $10 billion every year.
— Only 3% of
pornographic websites require adult verification.
— The Kaiser Family
Foundation found that among teens online, 70% have accidentally come across
pornography on the Web.
— Pornographers
disguise their sites (i.e. “stealth” sites) with common brand names, including
Disney, Barbie, ESPN, etc., to entrap children.
— The majority of
teenagers’ online use occurs at home, right after school, when working parents
are not at home.
—
EnoughIsEnough.com
Information
PornNoMore.com
PureIntimacy.org
Sa.org
MoralityinMedia.org
TheDefendersUSA.org
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