Pope mum on Passion

2004-03-12 09:38

Rome - Pope John Paul II does not consider Mel Gibson's controversial movie, The Passion of the Christ, anti-Semitic, Vatican spokesperson Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in an interview published on Thursday.

In the interview by the Rome-based daily Il Messaggero, Navarro- Valls said the Vatican would not issue an official statement distancing itself from the biblical epic about Christ's crucifixion.

"The pope has seen the film and has not commented on it," Navarro-Valls said. "The subsequent silence by the (Vatican) hierarchy is eloquent," he added.

Jewish groups throughout the world have strongly criticised the film about the last days of Jesus Christ on earth as being anti- Semitic.

Both the Italian Jewish community and the Anti Defamation League (ADL), an International Jewish group which seeks to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, have issued protest notes against the movie.

They argue that its interpretation of the Gospels may lead to a charge that the Jews killed Jesus. This, the ADL holds, may incite animosity towards Jews and even murder.

According to Navarro-Valls, however, the movie is merely a "cinematographic transcription" of the Gospels.

"If the film were to be considered anti-Semitic, then the Gospels would also have to be considered so," Navarro-Valls said.

In 1965, the Roman Catholic Church acknowledged that the Jews should not be held responsible for Jesus' death in guidelines set out by the II Vatican Council.

ADL argues that Gibson is a "traditionalist" Catholic and his film "does not adhere" to its guidelines.

Gibson's movie has become a major box-office success in the United States, where it has already earned more than $50m. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA