​Pope Francis warns seminarians and priests about digital pornography, and this is not just a casual observation, Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera wrote on Thursday, as quoted by Rador.

“I say this very clearly. I’m not going to say, “Raise your hand who’s even had experience with this,” I’m not going to say that. But let each of you think about whether you have encountered pornography in the digital world or been tempted. It is a vice that so many people have, so many lay people, so many lay people, and priests and nuns. The devil enters from there…,” Pope Francis said during an audience with seminarians and priests studying in Rome, a meeting dated October 24, but a transcript of the Supreme Pontiff’s words was released by the Vatican on Wednesday.

And he did not specifically mean “criminal pornography, like child abuse, where you see cases of violence in the living: this is already degeneracy.” He talked about the “somewhat ‘regular’ porn” that is popular on the Internet.

It is clear that the problem affects society as a whole: according to research by the International Secure Systems Lab worldwide, 12% of websites on the Internet offer pornographic material, and 35% of all downloads are pornographic in nature. But it is equally obvious that the “hot” pursuit of people who are preparing to take a solemn vow of chastity or have already taken it, indicates the problems facing the Church and will be one of the issues that will be at the center of the next Synod, in 2023 and 2024 years: seclusion of priests, connection with sexuality, celibacy.

Of course, it can’t just be that you can’t get married: the world is full of married, or at least unchastized, people who browse porn sites anyway. However, it is obvious that among consecrated persons there may be a special problem related to the very concept of sexuality in the Church. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, general speaker of the Synod, said this at the beginning of the year: “We have to change the way we see sexuality. So far, I’ve had pretty depressed vision. Of course, this is not about telling people they can do anything or abolishing morality, but I think we should say that sexuality is a gift from God. We know it, but do we say it?”.

Then Hollerich added: “Let us sincerely ask ourselves whether a priest must necessarily observe celibacy. I am very good about celibacy, but is it necessary? Why not have married priests? And even if the priest can no longer live in this solitude, we must be able to understand him, and not condemn him.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, one of the closest associates of Pope Francis, also spoke about this: “It would be better for some priests if they were married.”