Pope meets Jesus actor

2004-03-16 10:32

Vatican City - Pope John Paul II met on Monday with the star of Mel Gibson's controversial and hugely successful film The Passion of the Christ, the Vatican said.

Jim Caviezel, who plays Jesus in the film, had a brief conversation with the pontiff, who then blessed the devoutly Catholic actor, Vatican spokesperson the Rev Ciro Benedettini said. He had no further information on their discussion.

The Ansa news agency said Caviezel arrived in Rome on Saturday, and attended a private screening of his film at the Legionaries of Christ, a conservative Catholic group. Caviezel's wife and his parents-in-law also attended the meeting with the pope, the news agency said.

Mel Gibson's dramatisation of Christ's final hours has been a huge box-office success, earning $264m in the United States and Canada after 19 days in theatres, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.

However, the film has come under criticism by some Jews who say the film will fuel anti-Semitism through an unfair portrayal of Jews as the main force behind the death of Jesus. Several Vatican prelates have endorsed the film, insisting it is not anti-Semitic.

- AP