ROME — Pope Francis cautioned against the dangers of the internet Wednesday, warning seminarians “the devil enters” through online pornography.
Asked by a seminarian how to use social media and the internet in a responsible way, the pontiff urged his hearers to make use of modern technology but to be aware of the temptations it carries.
“I believe that these things should be used, because it is a progress of science, they do a service to be able to progress in life,” the pope responded, noting that he personally had arrived “too late” for such things, noting that “it’s not my world.”
But you have to use them “as an aid to move forward and to communicate; this is fine,” he said. “But I cannot fail to speak here of the dangers,” such as distractions and wasting time with programs or music.
“And there is also another thing, which you know well: digital pornography,” he added. “I say this quite clearly.”
“Each of you think if you have had the experience or have had the temptation of pornography in the digital world,” he continued. “It is a vice that so many people have, so many lay men and women, and also priests and nuns.”
“The devil enters from there,” he asserted. “And I’m not just talking about criminal pornography like child abuse, where you see live cases of children abused: this is a degeneration. But even ‘normal’ pornography. Dear brothers, be careful about this.”
“The pure heart, the one that receives Jesus every day, cannot receive this pornographic material that is so common nowadays,” Francis declared.
“And if you can delete this from your mobile phone, delete it, so you will not have the temptation in hand,” he urged. “And if you cannot erase it, protect yourself well so as not to fall into this.”
“I tell you, it is something that weakens the soul. It weakens the soul. The devil enters from there: it weakens the priestly heart,” he said.
“Forgive me for going into these details about pornography, but it is a reality: a reality that touches priests, seminarians, nuns, consecrated souls,” he concluded. “This is important.”
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