Pope Francis calls sex 'beautiful,' criticizes pornography in new documentary

Marina Pitofsky, USA TODAY
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Pope Francis in a wide-ranging new documentary called sex “one of the beautiful things God gave human beings.”

The documentary, titled “The Pope: Answers” and released Wednesday, shows Francis speaking to a group of 10 religious and non-religious adults in their 20s. One of the women speaking to the pope shared that she creates pornography on streaming sites.

Francis said pornography “diminishes” and “doesn’t help you grow.” But he still called sex “one of the beautiful things God gave human beings.”

“To express oneself sexually is something rich. Anything that diminishes a true sexual expression diminishes you as well. It renders you partial, and it diminishes that richness. Sex has a dynamic of its own. It exists for a reason. It’s an expression of love. That’s probably the core of sexual activity,” Francis said.

The group of young adults also explained the dating app Tinder to Francis, and he responded that it’s “normal” and good for young people to want to meet

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Abortion, racism: What else did Pope Francis discuss?

The group asked Francis multiple questions about abortion. He did not depart from the church’s teachings, arguing that a month after conception, an embryo is “not just a bunch of cells put together” and comparing abortion to murder.

But he also added that he tells priests that, if a person who has had an abortion comes to them, “I advise them not to ask questions and to be merciful, just as Jesus was.”

  • “A woman who has an abortion cannot be left alone. We should stay with her. We shouldn’t send her to hell all of a sudden or isolate her, no,” he said.

  • The pope also addressed issues of racism, telling the group he personally has never "suffered racism."

  • He also discussed immigration and the exploitation of some immigrant communities, saying, “Migrants should be welcomed, accompanied, promoted and integrated.”

  • On the issue of sexual abuse within the church, Francis told the group, including a man who said he was sexually abused when he was 11 years old, “The issue of abuse of minors is serious. Not just in the Church, but everywhere. In the case of the Church is even more scandalous because you destruct people in the very place where you should protect them.”

The religious leader didn’t reverse church policy on any of the issues, or issues such as women not being allowed to serve as priests in the church. He also addressed his day-to-day life, saying he doesn’t receive a salary or have a cell phone.

The wide-ranging conversation comes after the pope earlier this year said laws criminalizing homosexuality are “unjust,” emphasizing that homosexuality is a sin for Catholic worshippers, but not a crime.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pope Francis calls sex 'beautiful,' discusses racism, abortion in doc