In sermon against ‘demon of lust’, Pope says sexual pleasure ‘a gift from God’

Pope Francis has said that sexual pleasure is “a gift from God” that should be “disciplined with patience.”

In a Vatican address, part of a series of sermons on vices and virtues, Francis focused on what he called “the demon of lust”.

And he warned against pornography, which he said brought “satisfaction without relationship” and could lead to addiction.

His statements come in the wake of criticism by conservative Catholics of his new head of doctrine, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, appointed last July.

In a book he wrote in the 1990s, ‘Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality’, now out of print, Fernández discussed human sexuality and provided detailed descriptions of male and female experiences during orgasms.

Conservative commentators have called the book “perverse”, with one saying it showed Fernández was “unfit” to be prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Pope had already tackled the vice of gluttony last week. His sermon during Wednesday’s general audience described lust as something that “devastates relationships between people”, adding that “daily news is enough to document this reality”.

“How many relationships that started out in the best way have later become toxic relationships?” he asked.

Conservative members of the Catholic community have criticised Francis for approving a text from Cardinal Fernández with guidlines to allow priests to bless same-sex couples relationships that are still considered sinful. Although Cardinal Fernández did emphasise that the stance did not validate the status of same-sex couples in the eyes of the Catholic Church, for many conservatives the damage was done.

Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who was the Church’s head of doctrine under Pope Benedict XVI, denounced the Vatican’s document, saying a priest blessing a homosexual union would be committing a “sacrilegious and blasphemous act”.

“According to the criterion of this type of blessings, one could even bless an abortion clinic or a mafia group,” Cardinal Müller said.