It is no secret that with social distancing and isolation comes increased loneliness. This can bring about abnormal behaviors and increase temptations to consume pornography and engage in sexual activities. Even those who have overcome these activities many years ago find themselves struggling again. This “new normal” is certainly impacting all of us in ways we could not have expected.
This is what I have heard from several in ministry positions who are in a privileged space to hear the struggles and victories of parishioners and colleagues. It doesn’t help that the consumption of pornography has been encouraged and promoted by Pornhub, one of the largest porn sites in the world.
At the beginning of COVID-19, Pornhub opened its doors and provided free explicit premium content. This is why the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have chosen to speak out once again and encourage the Attorney General to resume obscenity law enforcement, so as to confront “the pornography industry and to protects its victims.”
This is not the first time the USCCB has addressed the issue of pornography. In November 2015, the USCCB published their formal statement titled, Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography. This is a major statement on behalf of Catholic leaders in the United States about how widespread the problem of pornography has spread and what the Church’s response should be to that problem.
If you’re looking to implement the letter in your Arch/Diocese and/or Parish, you will want to visit Covenant Eyes’ Clean Heart Online.
Related: The Catholic Church and Porn: 4 Quick Insights From The Bishops’ Letter
Five Reasons for the U.S. Bishops Requests
In addition to Pornhub’s aggressive response to COVID-19, here’s why the U.S. Bishops are requesting that the Attorney General address the pornography industry immediately:
- The Church is in solidarity with those who are struggling. We are all brothers and sisters and we must not only think of ourselves during this isolation, but especially others who are struggling alone and their needs.
- Pornography objectifies and exploits our brothers and sisters. It harms the health and relationships of those who consume porn. Fifteen states have declared pornography a public health crisis.
- The people used in pornography productions are compromised due to their desperate circumstances. It is not uncommon for these “actors’” consent to be totally absent.
- Pornography fuels the demand for human trafficking and sexual exploitation. This has led many to seek more and more extreme videos, including “child pornography, other abuse, and broader unjust conditions.”
- Pornography harms marriages, families, and communities. It provides a terrible example for our young people on how to think about sex, marriage, and relationships. It encourages coercion and violence as acceptable, both inside and outside of sexual intimacy.
Related: Porn, the Pandemic That Is Attacking Our Children
You’re invited to be a part of the movement!
The U.S. Bishops encourage and support the work of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE). NCOSE is the leading light and guide for leaders, organizations and agencies regarding the topic of exploitation.
This summer, on July 18, NCOSE will be hosting a free, online summit. The 2020 Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation will address the sobering statistics and issues surrounding sexual abuse, pornography, and many other crucial topics. We invite you to register for this 10-day event. Let’s fight exploitation together.
Amen. Let us fight pornography and sex trafficking together.
I’d like to know if there Is a petition (in addition to the online summit) we can sign to support the bishops and to end exploitation? Thank you.
Hi Rainey!
Enough Is Enough appears to run a couple of petitions on its website. But, please know that that is not any sort of endorsement of the organization or their petitions by the USCCB; it’s just an informal, personal informational sharing.
Blessings!
Moriah
It’s interesting that ,as usual, the RCC is double speaking on the subject of sexuality.
They should clean up their homosexual pedophilia, child sex trafficking and any other perverted stuff they have going on before they go down this road.
I believe the Catholic Church has made great strides in addressing their internal issues relating to sexual abuse. This is a broken world. Any large group or organization of humans has “bad actors”, those that hurt others, either by physical or emotional abuse, i.e, educators, BSA, childcare workers…..even parents and guardians abuse children in horrific ways. We can’t fail to act on societal issues due to the fact that there is no perfect group to pursue the problem.