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POSITION OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE FOR INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ON THE MEL GIBSON FILM THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

Doctrinal Note on The Passion of the Christ by 

the secretary of the French doctrinal commission

[unofficial translation]

 

Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ arrives in France on Wednesday, March 31. Even before its arrival the film has provoked polemic and contrasting reactions.

The sincerity of the director is not in doubt, and the film will attract men and women who are perhaps seeking to know Jesus. However, in this film the face of Christ is less apparent than our contemporary obsessions: preoccupation with evil, fascination with violence, pursuit of the guilty.

The director, heavily influenced by a particular cinematographic culture, has chosen to visually portray the last hours of the life of Christ, with a declared intent to recreate history.

These choices are not without consequence:

Standing Committee for Information and Communication:

+Mgr Jean-Michel di Falco, President of COPIC

+Mgr Georges Pontier, Vice-President of the French Conference of Bishops

+Mgr Thierry Brac de la Perrière

+Mgr Jean-Charles Descubes