UNITED STATES
Crux
By Michael O’Loughlin
National reporter November 12, 2015
American bishops will gather in Baltimore next week for their fall General Assembly, where they will elect new committee chairmen, weigh minor changes to their Catholic voting guide, and consider taking action against pornography.
The potential decision to dedicate resources to combatting pornography, a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States, would be a first for US bishops. The viewing of pornography is causing a crisis in marriages and families, they believe, so whatever strategies they develop would be aimed at Catholic leaders and parents, according to Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone.
The Church teaches that pornography is a form of spiritual adultery that harms human dignity and immerses users in a perverse fantasy world that can hurt their relationships. Given Pope Francis’ focus on the family through two international bishops’ summits, the US Church could employ priests and bishops in their traditional role as pastoral counselors.
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