Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1999/01/11/papal_visit_attracts_pornographer_s/

Papal visit attracts pornographer’s attentions

Is that one of the stations of the cross in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me

By Tim Richardson

Posted in On-Prem, 11th January 1999 14:04 GMT

The Archbishop of St Louis has successfully obtained an injunction against a Web site covering Pope John Paul II's visit to the US later this month. Archbishop Justin Regali and the Archdiocese of St Louis obtained the temporary order from a federal judge claiming that the site (www.papalvisit1999.com) contained sexually explicit advertising. The adult entertainment company, Internet Entertainment Group (IEG) -- the firm behind the unofficial papal site -- immediately moved the offending material to one of its erotic sites. "The papalvisit1999.com site contains no erotic information, although it does include a factual history of sexual abuses in the Catholic Church, " said Seth Warshavsky, president of IEG. "We have every legal right to publish information about the Pope's visit, and the name of the site is legally registered," he said. "The archdiocese seems to object to our advertising the www.clublove.com Web site, but of course we have every right to promote our products," he said defiantly. Warshavsky is convinced he will get the restraining order lifted at the full hearing on Wednesday. IEG was one of the companies involved in one of the most notorious hoaxes in Net history when two "college students" agreed to lose their virginity live on the Net. ®