Pope: Poverty, trivialization of sexuality must be ended in Thailand

Published: 2008-05-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- If the trafficking of women and children and prostitution are to be stopped, poverty and the "trivialization of sexuality" must be tackled, Pope Benedict XVI said. The media and entertainment industries' trivialization of human sexuality "fuels a decline in moral values and leads to the degradation of women, the weakening of fidelity in marriage and even the abuse of children," he said. The pope made his remarks May 16 during a private audience with Catholic bishops from Thailand at the end of their "ad limina" visits, in which they reported on the status of their dioceses. The pope praised the bishops for their efforts in trying to address the problem of poverty through the church's development programs. But the way human sexuality is depicted also must be "acknowledged and collectively addressed if this abhorrent human exploitation is to be effectively confronted," he said.

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