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Philippine Bishops Denounce Publication of Playboy Magazine in the Philippines

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

MANILA, Philippines, April 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Playboy magazine yesterday launched its first Philippine edition, triggering a reaction from leaders of the country's Catholic Church.

Bishop Pedro Arigo said the proliferation of obscene materials in the country demonstrates the declining moral values among the current generation of Filipinos.

"We are already a lost generation," he said, adding that allowing these types of obscene materials to flourish could "add to the degeneration of our sexual culture."

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines spokesman Msgr. Pedro Quitorio stressed that the contents of the magazine will affect "moral stature," adding that it should be banned in the country.

"Whatever is in its content, if it would destroy the moral stature of the people it should not be permitted here," Msgr. Quitorio said.

Archbishop Oscar Cruz said that pornographic materials are things that lay people should shun. "It means to say that we are drifting away from morality and these are indications that we failed to inculcate the right value system among our people."

Bishop Patricio Alo said the reason why there is so much disorder in sexual attitudes today, especially among the young people, is the influence of media.

"It is because of the media impact and internet that many people dress immodestly and meet the temptations of sex based too on the innate effects of original sin that makes us prone to sin," said Bishop Alo.

"Whether you pretend to be invulnerable or not, man is ever weak in himself. We cannot keep on giving personal excuses, because God has provided the source of strength and these can be found in prayer and in the sacraments."

Bishop Alo explained that the "reproductive health agenda" has resulted in uncontrolled sex. "See the consequences. The rise of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, the AIDS epidemic with no clear cure or solution, the millions of abortion, the numberless divorces, and the spread of venereal diseases."

The only way to eradicate all these, he said, is to follow God's plan for our lives. "Abstinence before marriage and fidelity after and you need God's grace for this which is our point here," concluded the bishop.

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