Louisiana Catholic Bishop Compares Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition to Child Abuse, Sex Trade
The 50th Anniversary edition of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition hits newsstands Feb. 18, but according to Shreveport, Louisiana Catholic Bishop Michael Duca it will be a sad day for America.
"Our society is becoming more and more sexualized," said Michael Duca, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Shreveport. "The reason people buy Sports Illustrated is not for sports, but for the sexual images in there. I think that's offensive to women. I think it's bringing us to a point where in order to sell, it has to have something to do with sex."
Bishop Duca said that the magazine "underlies a tremendous problem of abuse to children and the sex trade. It bubbles up in a kind of innocent way in Sports Illustrated and we laugh about it, but the fact is that it's showing up there is simply the tip of the iceberg."
Duca also touched on Internet pornography addiction and how it affects society.
"I think it's a sad day for Sports Illustrated and for our culture, he said. "The undercover life of internet pornography is a tremendous problem in our society. It addicts the person to an ever increasing need for more sexualization in their life."
The cover of the magazine was released this week and features three scantily clad models. Shreveport native Ariel Meredith will also appear in the 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. It will mark her fourth time being featured.
Listen to our interview with Michael Duca below: