May 11, 2007

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Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Toni Johnson (above left) was one of more than 150 catechists from around the Archdiocese to be honored for reaching ministry milestones during the annual Pius X Candle Light Prayer, Awards and Reception May 3 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Social Service Sister Celeste Arbuckle (center) is director of the Office of Religious Education and Youth Ministry. Social Service Sister Eva Marie Lumas (right) offered the Scripture reflection. Four of the honored catechists (top right) included, from left: Virginia Simon, her son Don Simon, and Julia Padreddi, all of Holy Angels Parish, Colma, for 50, 20, and 50 years, respectively; and Rita Barichievich, St. Andrew Parish, Daly City, 40 years. Johnson, honored for 10 years, is parish catechetical leader at St. Gregory, San Mateo. Nearly 4,500 volunteer catechists serve the Archdiocese. Additional coverage is schedule for next week.

‘Tsunami of pornography’ debases dignity of person, Archbishop tells audience By Dan Morris-Young Describing what he sees as an “electronic tsunami of pornography,” Archbishop George H. Niederauer told a Utah-based anti-pornography organization that pornography “is evil because it debases the priceless worth and dignity of each human being and the gift of human sexuality given by a God who shares his loving, creative power with us.” While pornography “is not a new challenge,” the Archbishop told members of The Lighted Candle Society at its annual awards dinner in Salt Lake City May 8, “the explosive increase in the accessibility and availability of pornography is new and deeply troubling.” “Every computer terminal is its pipeline, and cell phones and other hand-held devices, many of them marketed to children and young people, literally deliver pornography everywhere, to anyone,” the Archbishop of San Francisco said in his keynote address.

Archbishop Niederauer was presented the Lighted Candle Society’s Guardian of the Light Award two years ago for his work as president of the Utah Coalition Against Pornography, a position he held for five years until being named Archbishop of San Francisco.

‘Porn starves the human soul in its spiritual dimension…’ Bishop of the Salt Lake City Diocese from 1994 to 2005, Archbishop Niederauer reminded listeners pornography “now generates more annual income than all three major professional sports combined, and causes as well the world’s fastest growing addiction.” “We have all heard the discouraging numbers,” he

said, noting research shows there are 68 million Internet “search engine requests for porn sites” every day, that “70 percent of 18-24-year-old men visit porn sites in a typical month,” that “90 percent of eight-to16-year-olds have viewed porn on line,” and that “the average age of a child’s first exposure to pornography on the Internet is 11.” However, he said, “What should motivate us most profoundly is not the amount of pornography there is but the kind of harm it does. Pornography assaults human dignity and commodifies people and human sexuality. Porn starves the human soul in its spiritual dimension…. The human person, an irreplaceable gift, becomes a throwaway toy.” The Archbishop, who is chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Communications and a member of the Pontifical Council on Social Communications, cautioned that pornography opponents “need constantly to PORNOGRAPHY TSUNAMI, page 18

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION AB 374 criticized . . . . . . . . 3 AIDS epidemic . . . . . . . . . . 6 Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Columnists. . . . . . . . . . . . 17

A mother overcomes addiction, homelessness

Young essayists express thoughts on their world

Just-war principles applied to the war in Iraq

Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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www.catholic-sf.org

May 11, 2007

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS

Classified ads. . . . . . . . 22-23 VOLUME 9

No. 16


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