What are the catholic teaching on legalised prostitution and pornography ?

[NadaTeTurbe]

I always thought that the Church forbid prostitution and pornography, and that, as sinfull act, a christian state should forbid it, but I have been told by someone that it wasn't the case. 
So, what are the "official" catholic teaching on a christian country legalising prostitution and pornography ? (i.e teachings from the Cathechism and the Popes)

[Amppax]

10 hours ago, NadaTeTurbe said:

I always thought that the Church forbid prostitution and pornography, and that, as sinfull act, a christian state should forbid it, but I have been told by someone that it wasn't the case. 
So, what are the "official" catholic teaching on a christian country legalising prostitution and pornography ? (i.e teachings from the Cathechism and the Popes)

 

I'm assuming the person in question is referring to St. Thomas Aquinas's argument for the legal toleration of prostitution. While Aquinas did argue for this (a good summary of his reasoning can be found here) it is not, therefore, the position of the Church as a whole. Here's a good article, with some magisterial sources, arguing contra Aquinas: https://vox-nova.com/2008/03/14/legalizing-prostitution/.

To sum up and synthesize the two articles, Aquinas believes that prostitution is a form of fornication, making it a private, and not public (interior vs. exterior) matter. The state, he argues, ought only legislate in regards to the exterior. The second article makes the argument that the Church has, magisterially, put prostitution in the latter category of public matter, and therefore it should be legislated against. I think that this can still leave room for different ways of handling prostitution, such as shifting the focus of punishment, and recognizing the problem of human trafficking is often tied in. 

[NadaTeTurbe]

Thank you for your answer ! 

What is the position of the Church on men & women who organize legal prostitution - i.e who manage a brothel ? Is it considered as a mortal sin ? 

[beatitude]

7 hours ago, NadaTeTurbe said:

Thank you for your answer ! 

What is the position of the Church on men & women who organize legal prostitution - i.e who manage a brothel ? Is it considered as a mortal sin ? 

Yes, because brothel managers are encouraging (and often coercing) people to do 'work' that can involve serious physical and psychological harm and they are profiteering from other people's suffering and degradation. A disproportionate number of women in the sex industry come from adverse backgrounds and trafficking is a problem. Supporters of the industry try to market it as a career like any other, but you hardly ever see women with lots of options going into it, which is telling. These broader social implications show that it is a public matter rather than a simple question of private morality, as Aquinas thought.