Archbishop criticizes Telus porn decision

Vancouver Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM, is expressing great concern about Telus Mobility’s decision to offer cell-phone pornography.

Canada’s second largest phone company started offering pornographic photos and videos to its customers last month, and confirms it has been receiving complaints from upset customers.

Archbishop Roussin said, “Telus Mobility has crossed the line which brings the problem of the accessibility of pornographic material further into the public realm.”

He noted that considering the problems pornography is causing in society the move is especially ill-considered. “Given the increasing awareness about the problem of sexual addiction to pornography through Internet access, and the abuse that this perpetuates of vulnerable persons, Telus’s decision is disappointing and disturbing.”

The archbishop plans to raise his concerns with parishes and schools throughout the Archdiocese of Vancouver. He is also considering directing Catholic institutions to terminate their contracts with Telus Mobility.

A Telus spokesman said the company decided to start selling phone porn after finding customers were already using their phones for that purpose.

The company has received more than 100 complaints.