Catholic Leaders 'Dispassionate' on Mel Movie?

While one evangelical leader after another has acclaimed "The Passion of the Christ" as a great evangelistic tool, a surprising group of Christians has been notably reluctant to join the cheering: the Catholic Church.

Many Catholic officials who haven't yet seen the Mel Gibson film are taking a wait-and-see approach toward it, while others have voiced concerns about the film's graphic violence, its portrayal of Jewish leaders, and its almost-exclusive emphasis on Christ's death.

That has not stopped some Catholics from grabbing the moment for evangelism-nor has it silenced critics, who are continuing to hammer away at the film. And despite the attitude of Catholic leadership, many individual Catholic laypeople and pastors have found the film moving and meaningful.

Last week, the U.S. bishops issued a booklet cautioning Catholics against blaming Jews for Christ's death, and several diocesan websites around the country have posted links to information about interfaith issues and how to understand and portray the Passion story.

New York's Cardinal Edward Egan, in an open letter to the diocese, wrote of the film's violent portrayal of Jesus' final hours that "one may legitimately question whether such a representation exceeds the limits of propriety, good taste, or artistic authenticity."

But Egan's most serious concerns revolved around interfaith issues. Noting that some who have seen the movie believe that it may incite anti-Semitism even without intending to, he wrote:

"Should this last forecast be verified all of us would, of course, be the losers. Hence we must do everything that we can to avoid such an outcome."

Though Gibson is Catholic, he belongs to a traditionalist sect. It is not clear whether Gibson rejects the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, which among other things officially negated the centuries-old belief in Jews' complicity in Christ's death.

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