'Passion' helps Christians reflect on faith, Italian priest says

Published: 2004-03-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The "extremely harsh and realistic" portrayal of Christ's suffering in Mel Gibson's new film may be a healthy antidote to a Christian faith that often is "saccharine," said the editor of an Italian film magazine. Father Luca Pellegrini, editor of the Rivista del Cinematografo, told Vatican Radio that "The Passion of the Christ" forces Christians to remember "the scandal of the cross, that wood dripping with blood." The priest's comments were among several featured on Vatican Radio in the days following the Feb. 25 release of the film in North America; it was scheduled to open in Italy April 7. While several of the radio's unidentified commentators said the violence in the film was problematic, Father Pellegrini said it forces Christians to look at "our relationship with a God who was beaten, insulted, flagellated, tortured, derided and crucified."

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