PITTSBURGH -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is criticizing the City Paper for running advertisements of a sexual nature on its back pages.

Video: Chris Glorioso Reports Slideshow: See The Ads, Decide For Yourself

Dating services, massage parlors, escort services and chat lines are among the businesses that typically pay for space in the paper, which is distributed for free in boxes and racks throughout the Pittsburgh area.

Also, personal ads and sex advice columns featuring graphic language are regularly featured in the back of the weekly tabloid, known for its editorial columns and extensive listings of entertainment, dining and nightlife options.

An article in the July 9 edition of the diocesan newspaper, the Pittsburgh Catholic, questions the appropriateness of racy content.

"A lot of material in there is intended for adults to see -- not children, and not teenagers," Susan Rauscher, diocesan secretary for pastoral and social concerns, told Channel 4 Action News. "They're not distributing it in that manner."

The Pennsylvania Crimes Code says it's a felony to knowingly make explicit sexual material -- anything depicting nudity or sexual conduct -- available to minors.

Sensitive body parts are covered up in the City Paper's ads. Sex acts are not demonstrated, but merely suggested through coy language and pictures.

"There is nothing in here that rises to the level of hardcore pornography," said Vic Walczak, of the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "There's a lot of innuendo and intimation, but a kid is not going to understand that anyway."

While the diocese doesn't allege any laws are being violated, it suggests the City Paper pull sexual ads or run a "parental advisory" image on the front page.

"They're coming right up to the point of violating the law without violating the law," Rauscher said.

City Paper Editor Andy Newman told Channel 4 Action News that he could not comment. In the Catholic, he says supervising local children is not the job of his newspaper.

Steel City Media, which publishes the City Paper, did not return calls for comment from Channel 4 Action News.