BEIJING, April 2, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - AsiaNews sources report that pirated version of the Passion are being shown throughout Beijing in small group and parish settings.
A non-Catholic youth told AsiaNews, “My only intention was to practice my English by watching the film. Instead, however, the movie really struck me. I can’t believe that someone would sacrifice himself for others, even to the point of dying for them,” he said. “I want to learn more about Christianity,” the youth added. “When I was a student at university I read the Bible, but as a work of literature like any other. The reason I read it was to keep up with and learn about western trends of thinking,” he continued. “Yet after seeing the film I am inspired to read it again—but this time for the sake of serious reflection. I will ask my Catholic friends to tell me more about the Church.” An elderly Catholic man told AsiaNews he doesn’t normally go to movies. “I thought that nothing good could come from Hollywood, the film industry or its actors,” he said. “But this time I have been won over. What was that guy’s name?...Oh yes, Mel Gibson!” WorldNetDaily.com reported that, in Tangshan, 100 miles southeast of Beijing, a Catholic university student recommended the film to friends. Afterward, “one of them asked me to tell him more stories of the Bible, and another expressed his wish to join the Church,” he said. And a man in Arizona confessed to a burglary after watching the film. Read related coverage: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1B89956B-CDCB-4552-BB3E-4A8AC2A2EAEC.htm http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=563 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37832’THE