Oops: Publisher Owned by Catholic Church Peddles Porn

It's enough to raise blushes on Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: A German publishing company owned by the Catholic Church is turning a tidy profit with titles such as Sluts Boarding School, Lawyer's Whore, and the timeless Take Me Here, Take Me Now. Bishops there say they are shocked by the revelation—contained in an industry newsletter—that Weltbild offers such salacious fare and promise to put an end to it, reports the Independent. Critics say they've been complaining to the church about the problem for years.

"The sudden proclaimed astonishment of many church leaders that pornographic material is being distributed by their publishing house, is play acting—bad play acting," says the editor of a Catholic magazine. It turns out that the church tried to sell the company in 2009 over the same controversy, but bishops didn't get the right price. A Weltbild press release, meanwhile, fires back at critics that the "erotic" books don't meet the legal definition of pornography, notes LifeSiteNews. And here's one more title: Call Me Slut! (More Catholic Church stories.)