"Pope Francis Tells Nuns and Priests to Cool It with the Porn"

[Magna]

That's the title of this recent article:

Pope Francis Tells Nuns and Priests to Cool It with the Porn

I'm shocked by this. I'm not shocked that some nuns and priests look at porn. By "some", I'm assuming the number would be extremely small in relation to the number of religious. However, would Pope Francis tell nuns and priests to "cool it" on watching porn if it was only an extremely small number of them relatively speaking? It seems doubtful. That leads me then to think that the number is fairly significant. If so, I find that a bit shocking, disappointing and also a further erosion of trust likely among many Catholics who are already on shaky ground with their view of the church due to the monstrous, worldwide, pervasive sexual abuse scandals.

Yes, nuns and priests are human and as such are prone to "sin" just like anyone else. However, I find the news in this article disturbing in the same way I'd find it disturbing if there was an international organization of chemical dependency rehabilitators and the leader of the organization told chem dep counselors to "cool it" on their drug use. My reaction to that would be: "Wait, what??? It's a known thing that a significant number of drug rehab counselors are active drug users themselves? Not to mention the hypocrisy, but how could actively drug using chem dep counselors have any credibility if they were at the same time telling addicts to abstain from using drugs?" Would it be expected that a very small, even insignificant number of chem dep counselors fall "off the wagon" and use drugs? Yes. But one could reasonably expect that it wouldn't be a known and relatively widespread ongoing constant.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

LOL! (That the Pope had to put that out there)

 

[Aspychata]

Guess l thought that the staff in the house of God would be praying instead of something else. Doing things so they would blaze a path to sainthood.

 

[LadyS]

Not surprised one bit. How can the celibacy requirement reconcile with pure human nature?

For celibacy to be a gift, it must be grounded in reality

Celibacy is a gift, but this calling must incorporate psychosexual human development and be grounded in reality.

uscatholic.org

 

[Swansong]

Heh.

Human nature is human nature, by definition we cannot truly defeat it.

All the ideologies, religions and personal convictions are 95% just hopeless attempts at hiding what being human truly is.

 

[Judge]

 

[Judge]

Then again rescinding any notion of "Papal Infallibility" just might solve the problem altogether. Where the Pope can declare "Mea Culpa" and then begin to formulate more realistic policies for priests and nuns which recognize their sexuality and humanity rather than to prohibit it in accordance with useless dogma.

Tell the Pope that he needs to "bring the mountain to Mohammed".

 

[Fino]

I don't think it's a realistic expectation for the average person, and it's a Christian's #1 confession, in my experience.

 

[Magna]

Priests, nuns, etc should be held to a higher moral standard. They're not plumbers, grocers, etc. The organization they represent is touted as being a bastion of morality. They're in the morality business; as such, if they were to maintain that they have no greater obligation to be moral than anyone else, then how should they have any greater credibility than just listening to anyone or everyone else in regards to morals?

 

[Suzanne]

I was "raised" as a catholic, but at 15, made the decision that I could not cope with it anymore and told my distraught granny, that I could not go on, which hurt her terribly.

This verse comes to mind: 1 Timothy 4:3.

You see, if you make unreasonable demands of people, they will rebel.

Not sure if things have changed, but I believe priests are told that they were not allowed to marry? Or is that an old law?

Another scripture highlights why it is foolhardly to demand something that is wrong and dangerous: 1 Samuel 24:14

 

[Thinx]

So, here's a thought experiment, is it more moral for priests and nuns to watch porn in order to sustain themselves in avoiding sex, or should they eschew watching porn and have sex? It's hard to see how you can be moral in relation to an immoral requirement. Priests and nuns are people. What's moral about avoiding having sex? The Catholic Church encourages procreation, for everyone else.

 

[Magna]

So, here's a thought experiment, is it more moral for priests and nuns to watch porn in order to sustain themselves in avoiding sex, or should they eschew watching porn and have sex? It's hard to see how you can be moral in relation to an immoral requirement. Priests and nuns are people. What's moral about avoiding having sex? The Catholic Church encourages procreation, for everyone else.

This is an interesting thought experiment. It's presumed that most people who watch porn masturbate in conjunction with the porn viewing. If priests or nuns watched porn and did nothing else and were not aroused by it at all and didn't masturbate then I would assume it would probably still be considered a sin by the Catholic Church on some level because it's lewd content. But again, most anyone views porn for the sake of arousal and sexual gratification in which case...sin.

The Catholic Church imposes celibacy as a requirement for priests and nuns so...no sex. But also goes even further since it also forbids masturbation for literally everyone. "Double Whammy" for them.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Even nuns and priests

 

[Streetwise]

That's the title of this recent article:

Pope Francis Tells Nuns and Priests to Cool It with the Porn

I'm shocked by this. I'm not shocked that some nuns and priests look at porn. By "some", I'm assuming the number would be extremely small in relation to the number of religious. However, would Pope Francis tell nuns and priests to "cool it" on watching porn if it was only an extremely small number of them relatively speaking? It seems doubtful. That leads me then to think that the number is fairly significant. If so, I find that a bit shocking, disappointing and also a further erosion of trust likely among many Catholics who are already on shaky ground with their view of the church due to the monstrous, worldwide, pervasive sexual abuse scandals.

Yes, nuns and priests are human and as such are prone to "sin" just like anyone else. However, I find the news in this article disturbing in the same way I'd find it disturbing if there was an international organization of chemical dependency rehabilitators and the leader of the organization told chem dep counselors to "cool it" on their drug use. My reaction to that would be: "Wait, what??? It's a known thing that a significant number of drug rehab counselors are active drug users themselves? Not to mention the hypocrisy, but how could actively drug using chem dep counselors have any credibility if they were at the same time telling addicts to abstain from using drugs?" Would it be expected that a very small, even insignificant number of chem dep counselors fall "off the wagon" and use drugs? Yes. But one could reasonably expect that it wouldn't be a known and relatively widespread ongoing constant.

Bet therell be quite a few nuns and priests monks leaving r.c because of this

 

[Aneka]

That's the title of this recent article:

Pope Francis Tells Nuns and Priests to Cool It with the Porn

I'm shocked by this. I'm not shocked that some nuns and priests look at porn. By "some", I'm assuming the number would be extremely small in relation to the number of religious. However, would Pope Francis tell nuns and priests to "cool it" on watching porn if it was only an extremely small number of them relatively speaking? It seems doubtful. That leads me then to think that the number is fairly significant. If so, I find that a bit shocking, disappointing and also a further erosion of trust likely among many Catholics who are already on shaky ground with their view of the church due to the monstrous, worldwide, pervasive sexual abuse scandals.

Yes, nuns and priests are human and as such are prone to "sin" just like anyone else. However, I find the news in this article disturbing in the same way I'd find it disturbing if there was an international organization of chemical dependency rehabilitators and the leader of the organization told chem dep counselors to "cool it" on their drug use. My reaction to that would be: "Wait, what??? It's a known thing that a significant number of drug rehab counselors are active drug users themselves? Not to mention the hypocrisy, but how could actively drug using chem dep counselors have any credibility if they were at the same time telling addicts to abstain from using drugs?" Would it be expected that a very small, even insignificant number of chem dep counselors fall "off the wagon" and use drugs? Yes. But one could reasonably expect that it wouldn't be a known and relatively widespread ongoing constant.

Lurid headlines again lol
I don't care about what nuns and monks do in their spare time as long as it doesn't harm others.


PS: from a non-religious person

 

[Bolletje]

I think it shows the Pope has realistic expectations and is possibly going with the times on this issue. So sure, nuns and priests, indulge every once in a while, just do it privately and don’t overdo it.

 

[s0mer]

Believe me, you would want them to indulge a bit. Sexual arousal isn't a sin inasmuch if it isn't lust.

That's the line between what you can and cannot do.

I mean, what if the spiritual leaders were constantly horny ?

Remember puberty?

Sometimes...

(and I think everyone knowswhere im heading with that)

 

[Magna]

I think it shows the Pope has realistic expectations and is possibly going with the times on this issue. So sure, nuns and priests, indulge every once in a while, just do it privately and don’t overdo it.

I agree that I think the current pope is "going with the times" in a lot of ways.

There was a famous bishop or maybe an archbishop who at the time, had the highest rated TV show in the U.S. Fulton Sheen was his name. He wrote the following in one of his books and it became a famous quote attributed to him:

"The Church knows after 1900 years' experience that any institution which suits the spirit of any age will be a widow in the next one”

In other words, a church that goes with the times will have little to no followers eventually or won't exist, etc. It will be interesting to see if he ends up being prophetic.

 

[KingDiamond]

What does he expect people to gauge their eyeballs out? I think that Pope Francis is wrong. People are human to have urges, and unless he likes seeing his church get sued, I don't think he does, but when people are bottled up, they are prone to sexually assault somebody porn has cut down rapes. I don't know if it's because I'm an atheist, but I've been watching porn since I was 12. I don't believe people should tell people what to watch. It blurs the line and sounds like a cult.

 

[ChrisCRISPR]

What does he expect people to gauge their eyeballs out?

Weeeeell....

I don't think the Pope actually expects that, but I think Jesus kinda does.

"And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell." - Matthew 18:9

*not religious myself and not encouraging anyone to gouge their own eyes out. Just thought an appropriate place to use that scripture.