Politics
Wednesday December 1, 2004
Liberal Bishops Bash Gibson's Passion as "A Modern Version of Notorious Medieval Passion Plays"
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BALTIMORE, December 1, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - At a November 29th meeting of the U.S. Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee, a group of Catholic bishops condemned the movie, The Passion of the Christ, calling it a "modern version of the notorious medieval Passion Plays."
The release of Mel Gibson's movie earlier this year sparked near hysterical reactions by the American Civil Liberties Association and the Anti-Defamation League. This was called "understandable concern," in the bishops' Nov 29 statement.
While the bishops present at the Baltimore meeting - William Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore, Arthur J. Seratelli of Paterson New Jersey, John J. Nevins of Venice Florida, Gerald Walsh of New York, John Nienstedt of New Ulm - said, 'Happily…the film precipitated no such anti-Jewish violence," no mention was made of the numerous anti-Christian outbursts against the huge numbers of people who saw and praised the extraordinarily successful film. The bishops also declined to note the widely reported positive effects the movie had on the faith of Christians of various denominations and the spontaneous confessions by criminals affected by it.
At the time of the uproar, the US bishops were divided in their public statements about The Passion. Many bishops and prominent clergy from different Christian denominations profusely praised the film's faithful and moving presentation of the last hours of the life of Christ.
These churchmen were joined by prominent Jewish commentators, many of whom pointed out that the divisions over who did or did not support the film and its message was not between Christians and Jews, but between Jewish, Christian and secular liberals, and people of faith.
To read the bishops' statement:
http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2004/04-237.htm
To read the extensive LifeSiteNews.com coverage of the controversy over the film:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/feb/040225a.html
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