Movies are powerful way to spread Gospel, bishop says in pastoral

Published: 2004-04-01

WILMINGTON, Del. (CNS) -- Film and television offer an "immediate and extraordinary means" to communicate the Gospel to "a global audience of both believers and nonbelievers," Wilmington Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli wrote in a pastoral letter for Holy Week. In his 3,400-word letter, released April 1, the bishop said that films could have a major role in evangelizing the modern world, and he cited many films that, explicitly or implicitly, invite viewers to contemplate the face of Christ such as "The Passion of the Christ," "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and movies about saints or on Christian themes. The bishop praised Mel Gibson for his work in directing and producing "The Passion of the Christ" and said that the film's brutality, "which has been the center of so much controversy, is itself a visual device to express saving truths about the inconceivable horror of sin, and the boundless love of God." He added, "We cannot leave this film without understanding that the Mass is both a sacred meal and the unbloody renewal of Christ's sacrifice."

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