‘Sexual pleasure is a gift from God’ but Catholics must avoid pornography, the Pope says during discussion on ‘the vice of lust’

Pope Francis has claimed that sexual pleasure is a gift from God, but Catholics should avoid pornography.

The pope, 87, said during a catechesis, a religious instruction, addressed to attendees of his general audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, that sexual pleasure was to be cherished but was being “undermined by pornography.”

The Pope, who assumed the saintly role in 2013, added: “Contentment without a relationship can cause forms of addiction. We must defend love. Winning in the battle of lust can be a lifelong endeavor.”

His catechesis apparently came in response to conservative critics, who took action last week after the resurfacing of a Vatican doctrine containing sexually explicit material decades ago by the head.

The Spanish-language book, now out of print, was written by Víctor Manuel Fernández, an Argentine cardinal and close friend of Francis, when he was a young priest, and describes male and female orgasms in graphic terms.

The pope, who took on the saintly role in 2013, added: “Contentment without a relationship can cause forms of addiction.”

The book, entitled ‘The Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality’, was published in Mexico in 1998 and is a short explanation of mystical-sensual experiences with God.

In the final chapters, Fernández delves into orgasms, including graphic descriptions of male and female sexual anatomy and his commentary on sexual desire, pornography, sexual satisfaction and domination, and the role of pleasure in God’s mystical plan.

At one point, describing the female orgasm, he concluded that women are “often insatiable” and “may desire more,” ostensibly because of the ample blood flow during climax.

It is very similar to an earlier book that Fernández wrote entitled ‘Heal Me With Your Mouth’. The art of kissing.’

The book emphasizes the importance of kisses in human relationships and defines them as expressions of absolute love.

‘In English ‘Kiss’, in Italian ‘bacio’, in French ‘baiser’, in German ‘kuss’, in Portuguese ‘beijo’. Depending on how it is done, it is also often called ‘pecking’, ‘sucking’, ‘drilling’ etc., the book says.

Pope Francis’ closest confidantes aren’t the only ones who have gotten in trouble for embarrassing behavior. Just four years ago, the Pope himself was left red-faced after his official Instagram account left a like on a racy photo of a bikini. model dressed in stockings and suspenders.

He spoke to followers during a general audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Wednesday

Just four years ago, the Pope himself was left red-faced after his official Instagram account liked a racy photo of a bikini model dressed in stockings and suspenders

A screenshot taken by an eagle-eyed social media user shows the @francisus account liking a photo of Natalia Garibotto dressed in a revealing schoolgirl outfit.

The image shows Miss Garibotto dressed in a short tartan skirt as she packs books into a locker.

And it appears the Pope’s official account was one of more than 133,000 people who liked the photo of the then 27-year-old Brazilian model.

Ms. Garibotto took comments like this in good humor, joking that she was “on her way to the Vatican” with her Twitter followers.

She told Barstool Sports: “My mom may hate my butt pictures, but the Pope double taps.”

Afterwards she wrote on Twitter: ‘Brb on the way to the Vatican. At least I’m going to heaven.

“If Pope Francis wanted the place, you should too.”