Pope Francis has warned priests and nuns against the perils of online pornography.
His Holiness who was holding a question-and-answer session at the Vatican City last week was asked how digital and social media should be best used.
The Pope admitted that pornography was a temptation among very many people which “weakens the priestly heart”.
“It’s a vice that so many people have, so many laymen, so many lay women, and even priests and nuns,” he said.
“I tell you, it is something that weakens the soul. It weakens the soul. The devil enters from there: he weakens the priestly heart,” added the Pope.
The 85-year-old told priests and seminarians that he wasn’t referring only to “criminal pornography like that of child abuse”, but also to “normal pornography”.
According to a transcript of the session published by the Vatican on Wednesday, he advised the group to “delete this from your phone, so you will not have temptation in hand”.
“The pure heart, the one that Jesus receives every day, cannot receive this pornographic information,” said Francis.
The pontiff further told the audience that social media and the digital world should be used but advised them against wasting too much time on it and being distracted by things such as news and music.
Francis’ meeting saw him respond at length to a wide range of questions from priests and seminarians studying in Rome, from reconciling science and faith to trying to live virtuously amid personal shortcomings.
In the session, Francis also revealed he had been given a mobile phone when he became a bishop 30 years ago.
While describing the gadget being the size of a shoe, the pope said he only made one call, to his sister, and gave it back.