A German priest recently contradicted Pope Francis by declaring that linking porn to the devil is a “spiritual exaggeration.” Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington, claimed that a porn addiction puts one in great spiritual peril.
As with any significant sin, a pornography addiction is an entrance to the devil, Rossetti told CNA in an email interview on Wednesday.
The porn business uses people as sexual objects, which is never a healthy thing, he said. The possibility of developing sexual dysfunction is made possible by a pornographic habit.
Rossetti, 71, has been a certified psychologist for 30 years. He is a priest from the Diocese of Syracuse who has served the Archdiocese of Washington as an exorcist for more than 15 years. He is the founder and head of the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, an archdiocesan organization that focuses on healing for those who are in need of deliverance.
Pope Francis’ latest advice to seminarians studying in Rome is reminiscent of the exorcist’s candor on the perils of pornography.
“Hello brothers, watch out for this. The Holy Father emphasized to hundreds of seminarians on October 24 that a pure heart, the heart that receives Jesus every day, cannot accept this pornographic knowledge.
“And if you can erase this from your mobile device, do so to avoid temptation. And if you are unable to destroy data, take appropriate security precautions to prevent access to it. It weakens the soul, I assure you,” he remarked.
“The devil comes in through there. The pope frequently told the guys, “It undermines the priestly heart.
Father Hermann Backhaus, a German priest, stated in an interview with Katolisch.de, the news source of the Catholic Church in Germany, that equating porn with the devil is a “spiritual exaggeration” in response to the pope’s remarks.
Backhaus also cautioned against “the rather nasty connotation” that is associated with the word “pornographic” in the interview.
According to Backhaus, “explicit sexuality has good repercussions in connection to the couple,” such as “helping their love life become more lively.”
The intake of graphic sexual images may, he said, have a soothing impact on celibate persons.
The clergy, religious, and other church employees “usually have familiarity with pornography,” he said.
He stated that “associating the devil with pornography is a pretty harsh remark,” disagreeing with the pope’s assertion that “the devil enters via there.”
Rossetti, on the other hand, advised against using pornography for any purpose.
“Porn addiction may ruin relationships. A person’s sexuality might be distorted by a porn addiction, he told CNA.
He said, “A pornography addiction not only badly damages the person, but it also fuels a billion-dollar business that preys on people, particularly women and children.
»Despite German priest’s protestations, exorcist thinks porn addiction is demonic«