I'm not Catholic, and definitely have some issues with some core beliefs there (the whole idea of saints is really problematic for me), but pretty much understood (and somewhat agreed with) the Pope on the content posted by njqt. The resistance to artificial methods of fertilization is in line with their stance on birth control/rhythm method.

I also fully concur on the "sex can be as addictive as a drug" thought. Drugs, sex, drinking -- they all touch on the Pleasure Principle, and an awful lot of people have been destroyed by excesses in temporary fixes in pleasure. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that sex is bad or wrong or inherently evil, just that an excess of it can lead one astray from more important priorities. The same can be said of many activities (excessive devotion to daytime dramas, baseball statistics, work, etc.) but sex can have stronger ties to you since it is so immediate and easy and fantastic-feeling. As far as comparing it to a drug, I've seen very few people in my life who get strung out on it the way that they might on heroin or PCP or even Oxycontin, but it definitely isn't an empty comparison.

Kev