Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has asserted that sexual pleasure is a divine gift from God that should be approached with patience and discipline. The 87-year-old pontiff delivered this message during a homily at the Vatican as part of a series addressing vices and virtues on Wednesday.
Describing sexual pleasure as a divine gift, Pope Francis cautioned against the dangers of pornography, which he characterized as offering “satisfaction without relationship” and potentially leading to addiction.
In his sermon focused on what he termed “the demon of lust,” the Pope emphasized the need for discipline and patience in approaching sexual pleasure. He remarked, “Among all human pleasures, sexuality has a powerful voice. It involves all the senses; it dwells both in the body and in the psyche, and this is very beautiful; but if it is not disciplined with patience, if it is not inscribed in a relationship and in a story where two individuals transform it into a loving dance, it turns into a chain that deprives human beings of freedom.”
The Pope’s comments followed criticism by conservative Catholics of Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the new head of doctrine appointed last July. Cardinal Fernández faced backlash for a book he wrote in the late 1990s titled “Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality,” which delved into human sexuality, providing detailed descriptions of male and female experiences during orgasms.
Cardinal Fernández acknowledged that he wrote the book when he was young and expressed that he would not write it in the same way now. Conservative critics labeled the book “perverse,” questioning his suitability for his role as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Pope Francis, addressing the topic of desire during Wednesday’s discussion, did not explicitly connect it to the criticism of Cardinal Fernández but highlighted the destructive impact of lust on relationships.
The Pope and Cardinal Fernández have previously faced criticism from conservative members of the Catholic community, particularly concerning the approval of guidelines allowing priests to bless same-sex couples’ relationships, a move denounced by some as sacrilegious and blasphemous. tensions escalated, leading to the eviction of outspoken critic US Cardinal Raymond Burke from his Vatican apartment and the revocation of his salary by Pope Francis.