Pope condemns sex, violence in media

Pope Benedict XVI gestures during his Angelus prayer at the Vatican May 20, 2007.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Sunday criticized media that transmitted anti-social and violent programs as well as images that "vulgarize human sexuality".

The Pope made his comments in a message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Communications, whose theme this year is "Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education".

"Programs that instill violence or anti-social behavior or vulgarize human sexuality are unacceptable, more so if they are presented to minors," the Pontiff said, addressing crowds of faithful in St. Peter's Square.

The Pontiff further called on the heads of the media industry to "promote human dignity, marriage and the family".

The Pope's comments followed a written message for the World Day of Communications released earlier this year which criticized animated films and video games, among other products, that exalt violence and trivialize sexuality.

"How could one explain this 'entertainment' to the countless innocent young people who actually suffer violence, exploitation and abuse?" he asked in the message.