“If a child is involved, anyone who shares a link or distributes (it) can be prosecuted under federal law. Mere possession of two or more pieces of child porn is a violation of federal law.”
“Those who videotaped this and those who posted it to the Web should be prosecuted,” he said of the Baltimore video.
Fr. Michael O’Loughlin, who regularly works with youth and is the pastor of Holy Protection of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Church in Denver, spoke about the needs of the teens involved in the video.
They need “both the comfort and support of their family as they deal with the long term consequences of both the infamy they now have as a result of the proliferation of the video, and also of the abuse of the God-given gift of their sexuality,” he told CNA.
He suggested that those who posted the video “didn’t expect these consequences--although he or she should have--and they need to understand how hurtful their actions can be.”
Fr. O’Loughlin explained that the Church teaches pornography use is sinful because human sexuality and the sexual act are “means God gave us to grow closer to each other and therefore to him.”
While Internet pornography is a new phenomenon, he noted that throughout history the Catholic Church and families have had to deal with various vices becoming more easily available.
“When this happens, we need to update our Christian ‘arsenal’ to defend ourselves and our families against the culture's acceptance and even promotion of idea and actions that separate us from God and our calling,” he said.
He suggested that parents have to help their children to “think critically” and consider the long-term effects of “even the quickest, easiest and most ‘popular’ of actions.”
Kevin J. Jones is a senior staff writer with Catholic News Agency. He was a recipient of a 2014 Catholic Relief Services' Egan Journalism Fellowship.