Sexual pleasure is a \u201cgift from God\u201d, but lust is \u201ca demon\u201d, Pope Francis told attendees of an address at the Vatican on Wednesday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The head of the Catholic Church told an audience during a catechesis\u2014a religious instruction\u2014that sexuality is “very beautiful,” but only when it is controlled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pontiff said: \u201cSexual pleasure that is a gift from God is undermined by pornography: satisfaction without relationship that can generate forms of addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have to defend love, the love of the heart, of the mind, of the body, pure love in the giving of oneself to the other. And this is the beauty of sexual intercourse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only a few days had passed since the Vatican’s head of doctrine’s sexually explicit writings were rediscovered, when the Pope gave his speech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authored by V\u00edctor Manuel Fern\u00e1ndez, a friend and cardinal of Francis, the book goes into explicit detail on orgasms, domination, and sexual desire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fern\u00e1ndez stated that women “may crave more” during a climax and were “often insatiable.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the Spanish-language book is no longer in print, orthodox Catholics condemned it and put pressure on the cardinal to resign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although some have interpreted the Pope’s speech as a response to conservative opponents, Francis has a history of conflict with the Catholic establishment; in October 2022, he acknowledged that even priests and nuns consume porn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amid mounting calls for the Catholic Church to modernise, Francis has also become more receptive to the idea of revisiting the celibacy norm.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sexual pleasure is a \u201cgift from God\u201d, but lust is \u201ca demon\u201d, Pope Francis told attendees of an address at the Vatican on Wednesday. The head of the Catholic Church … <\/p>\n