St. Vlad's hosts Internet Pornography workshop

An extremely important issue. This is a plague that infects many, many people. I've met numerous men who have led otherwise holy lives, but have been unable to escape the grips of this addiction to the detriment of their families (quite crushing to their wives in particular).

If you think this doesn't do any harm to anyone (the "What I do in the privacy of my own home" argument), I can only ask you to think about how men (fed on a diet of pornography that devalues women) are going to look at your daughter when the time comes for dating or when she goes to college? Do you think hours of scantily clad girls saying yes to every invitation is a good template for a chaste life?

The Church needs an unequivocal response to pornography matched with a willingness to provide assistance for these men. Saying "Bad! Bad!" is not a solution as our declaration of a truth must be accompanied by loving care and patience for those afflicted (Ephesians 4:15). I have no idea if this is a topic covered in seminaries in a normal class setting today, but I pray that it is.

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(SVOTS) - The enormous world of internet pornography continues to invade our culture, and the statistics* are staggering: 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites; 70% of men ages 18–24 visit porn sites monthly; 1 in 3 porn viewers are women; there are 116,000 searches for “child pornography” daily; 35% of all internet downloads are pornographic; and in the U.S., Internet porn pulls in $2.84 billion per year.

In his recent campus workshop addressing this invasive addiction—“Internet Pornography and Chastity”—Dr. Albert Rossi, adjunct professor for Pastoral Theology at St. Vladimir’s, stressed two things: hope in Christ and help from commendable resources.

“The sessions,” said Dr. Rossi, “stressed the necessity of personal stillness and accountability. Perhaps the signature insight of the workshop was, ‘Christ is everything.’ Many persons don't comprehend the seriousness of Internet pornography. But, Jesus said, ‘If anyone looks at a woman lustfully he commits adultery with her in his heart’ (Matt 5:28). In Jesus' time, adultery was a serious sin, punishable by death. In the workshop, we discussed how viewing Internet pornography is a form of ‘adultery,’ with disastrous consequences for personal relationships.”

Dr. Rossi also noted the importance of personal accountability in addressing the problem of the pull toward Internet pornography. “‘Revolving door’ confession for an Internet pornography addiction only aids and abets the behavior,” he observed. Thus, in his presentation, he particularly highlighted the distinction between self-will and surrender to the Lord, along with surrender to another human being—inside and outside of the sacrament of Confession. “Isolation is the enemy of emotional and spiritual growth,” he stressed.

He also recommended two sources of help for those dealing with an Internet pornography addiction or compulsion: “Covenant Eyes,” a software program that provides accountability for computer use; and “Sexaholics Anonymous,” a 12-Step fellowship that includes individuals, many of whom are professionals, whose "only" sexual problem is Internet misuse.

* Via online MBA.

If you wish Dr. Rossi to speak or to present a workshop in your locale on this topic, please invite him by e-mailing arossi@svots.edu.