Telus porn issue ‘struck a chord, ’Archbishop says

The season of Lent got off to a great start for Catholics concerned with cell-phone pornography.

On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Telus Mobility announced that it would not be offering pornographic downloads to its mobile customers after all.

No one was more pleased than Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM, who, for over two weeks, spearheaded efforts to fight the wireless-provider’s decision to offer pornographic materials for a fee.

“I am pleased and grateful that Telus has decided to remove itself from the business of profiting from pornography,” said the archbishop in a written statement. “The decision is for the greater good of the community as a whole, a fact I am glad Telus is recognizing.”

The news of the reversal of policy came from Telus the day before Ash Wednesday.

The timing provided the opportunity for Catholics throughout the archdiocese making their way to church to be marked with ashes to thank God that their efforts to contact Telus and register their disapproval of its policy had paid off.

Last week the archbishop asked Catholics and other concerned Canadians to inform Telus and Telus Mobility that the recent decision to promote the sale of pornography would simply fuel the widespread deleterious effect of pornography on society.

After Telus reversed its position, Archbishop Roussin expressed his gratitude to all Catholics and non-Catholics who had taken the time to make their distress known.

“The issue was not only mine or that of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, but rather one that struck a chord with people across the country. The public in general appears to have recognized that pornography is a concern that needs to be addressed.”

Many Telus customers who contacted The B.C. Catholic expressed misgivings that pornography could easily be viewed by children out on the street, on buses, and elsewhere.

They also questioned how the company’s promise that access to pornographic materials could really be kept secure.

It is important, said Archbishop Roussin, for everyone, especially those in the communications industry, to fully appreciate how serious the issue of sex and pornographic addiction really is.

The proliferation of pornography, he explained, exacts a horrendous toll: on the people who view the materials and are thus encouraged in their sexual addiction; on children, women, and men who are increasingly being used to produce such materials; and on families whose loved ones suffer from a pornography addiction which is being fuelled by materials coming from the Internet.

The Telus controversy, the archbishop hopes, will serve to raise many people’s consciousness about the problem which, left unabated, will draw even more people into the downward spiral of this addiction.

“This is an extremely important and growing societal concern, and we need to reflect and study how we can find solutions,” he remarked. He also praised Telus for taking a direction toward greater corporate and social responsibility.

“The company has listened to the voices of its customers, and Canadians in general, who were quite clear that this was not something that serves the public in any beneficial way.”

Telus said customers who had disconnected over the pornography issue could re-establish their contracts without extra charges if they reconnected within 30 days.