Pope Francis says priests and nuns watch 'vice of porn,' warns 'the devil enters from there'

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Pope Francis admitted during a Monday speech that priests and nuns watch the "vice of porn," and said that "the devil enters from there and weakens the soul."

Francis made the comment during a meeting with hundreds of seminarians aspiring to be priests, telling them that they should delete any pornographic content on their phones, according to the European Times.

"Priests and nuns also have the vice of porn on the web. Beware: the devil enters from there and weakens the soul," Francis said. "If you have them on your mobile phone, delete them."

Francis added that "technology should be used because it is progress."

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Pope Francis admitted during a Monday speech that priests and nuns watch the "vice of porn," and said that "the devil enters from there and weakens the soul." (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

He warned the seminarians against watching pornography, stating that "so many people" are consumed by it.

"It is a vice that has so many people, so many lay people, and also priests and nuns. The devil enters from there. And I’m not just talking about criminal pornography such as child abuse: that is already degeneracy. But of somewhat ‘normal’ pornography. Dear brothers, beware of this," Francis said.

The pope said that a "pure heart" that receives Jesus daily "cannot receive this pornographic information."

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Pope Francis greets and blesses children assisted by the Vatican's Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary at the Paul VI Hall. (Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"That, today, is the order of the day. And if you can delete this from your mobile phone, delete it," Francis said. "Excuse me if I go into these details about pornography, but there is a reality: a reality that touches priests, seminarians, nuns, consecrated souls. Have you understood? All right. This is important."

When a seminarian asked Pope Francis how the digital and social media world should be dealt with, he also admitted that while he doesn't use it himself, the technology is a "service to be able to progress in life."

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Pope Francis meets with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and pastoral workers in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Reuters/Pavel Mikheyev)

"I don’t use them because I came late, you know? When I was ordained a bishop, 30 years ago, they gave me one as a present, a mobile phone, which was like a shoe, about this big. I said: ‘No, I can’t use this one.’ And finally I said: ‘I’ll make a call.’ I called my sister, said hello, then I gave it back. ‘Give me something else.’ I couldn’t use it. Because my psychology was off or I was lazy, we don’t know," Francis said.