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Defining Pornography
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church
defines pornography this way:
Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts
from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliber-
ately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts
the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It
does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors,
the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and
illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illu-
sion of a fantasy world.
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The moral status of pornography is clear from this passage: producing
or using pornography is gravely wrong. It is a grave matter by its object. It
is a mortal sin if it is committed with full knowledge and deliberate con-
sent. Unintentional ignorance and factors that compromise the voluntary
and free character of the act can diminish a person’s moral culpability.
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This sin needs the Lord’s forgiveness and should be confessed within
the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. The damage it causes to
oneself, one’s relationships, society, and the Body of Christ needs healing.
Pornography can never be justified and is always wrong.
Pornography does not consist only in visual images (which can be real
or virtual, including computer-generated) but can also be in written or
audio forms (e.g., certain romance novels, erotic literature, phone con-
versations, social media, online video chats, etc.). It encompasses what is
sometimes distinguished as “soft-” and “hard-core” pornography. This is an
artificial divide; all pornography is harmful and wrong, while the effects on
a person may vary depending on the intensity of the content. Pornography
is not art.
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Why Pornography Is an Offense Against Chastity
and Human Dignity
Deliberately viewing pornography is a grave
sin against chastity
. Sexual inti-
macy and the pleasure that derives from it are gifts from God and should
remain personal and private, enjoyed within the sacred bond of marriage
alone. Such intimacy should not be put on display or be watched by any