At first blush, the Pope might have been pleased with a young American woman's offer to solve the Catholic Church's clerical sex-abuse problems.
Belladonna, 27, with a husband and daughter at home in the US, has arrived in Australia to pursue her successful career and to help frustrated priests.
But in the week the church is celebrating World Youth Day and fending off sex abuse claims, Belladonna is advising the pontiff — let priests watch porn.
Belladonna is a porn star.
By her own admission, she has performed sexual acts with men and women in more than 250 X-rated movies.
She is on a fifth visit to Australia as a guest of the Sydney Sexpo event, which starts next week, just as World Youth Day celebrations end.
"The Pope has indicated he might apologise to victims of sexual abuse and that is a positive thing to do," the heavily-tattooed Belladonna told a press conference in Canberra today.
"But unless he follows up with some practical advice that addresses the sexual needs and desires of clergy, the problem will simply continue.
"Church clergy are at a crisis because they get no real street-level sex education but are expected to ply the streets to deliver their spiritual message."
They needed to know how to distinguish a sexual fetish or fantasy from real-life sex, she said.
Belladonna has offered 300 of her own films to the Catholic Church in Australia for distribution to priests.
She also has offered to donate some of her own time to help set up a "meaningful set of exercises for priests to help them deal with sexual tension and stress".
The Eros Foundation — Australia's national adult retail and entertainment association — says the sex industry could help the Catholic clergy and, particularly, the Pope.
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