As you work hard to create safe havens for your children and spouse, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and our Diocese of Allentown wish to bring one particular issue to your attention. It’s not easy to discuss, but it’s important. That issue is pornography.
Pornography is hurting many people, including marriages and families, singles, priests and religious, and even children. It hurts the healthy process of vocational discernment for our young people. Pornography use impacts the relationships of children with their parents, husbands with their wives (and vice versa), the pastor with his community, and most importantly, our relationship with our Lord.
In November of 2015, the USCCB released a pastoral response to pornography, called Create in Me a Clean Heart. In the statement, the USCCB speaks directly to parents about being proactive about the issue of pornography in the life of the home with their children and together as a married couple to ensure the home keeps its status as a safe haven for all.
The Bishops state, “The use of pornography by anyone in the home deprives the home of its role as a safe haven and has negative effects throughout a family’s life and across generation.”
Thus, today throughout our Diocese of Allentown, we are celebrating the first annual Safe Haven Sunday with the theme “Equipping the Family, Safeguarding Children.” This awareness effort is meant to draw our attention as a community to the seriousness of the issue of pornography and to recommit ourselves to take steps to ensure our homes are safe havens for all.
You can begin learning now by joining the Safe Digital Family Challenge to receive seven days of free digital tips to help create a safer digital environment for your family. To sign up, please simply text the word SECURE to 66866. (Also in Spanish)
Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, intercessors of the home, and St. Michael, we pray for protection of our families and our world from this and every threat to our Sanctity with Christ!