The U.S. Conference of Bishops has issued a statement refuting press reports that the organization was involved in developing a report that charged Mel Gibson with anti-Semitism in his portrayal of Christ’s crucifixion in his film “The Passion.”
As WorldNetDaily reported, earlier this week the Melbourne Herald Sun reported Gibson, a Catholic, had threatened lawsuits against both the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Anti-Defamation League over the issue.
The Bishops’ organization, however, says the report was created by “an independent group of scholars critiquing” the film’s script.
“Neither the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, nor any other committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, established this group or authorized, reviewed or approved the report written by its members. The Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs knew only that the scholars’ group intended to offer comments for the private consideration of the producers,” the statement said.
The Zenit news service had published a story saying the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs had published the report.
The report is critical of Gibson’s film portrayal of Jewish complicity in the execution of Christ.
A column by the Rev. Charles J. Chaput, archbishop of Denver, defends the film, which presents the last 12 hours of Christ’s life and whose dialogue is entirely in Latin and Aramaic.
“I find it puzzling and disturbing that anyone would feel licensed to attack a film of sincere faith before it has even been released,” wrote Chaput.
The archbishop says the criticism of Gibson “seems based on an earlier, working draft of the script that Gibson says was stolen and leaked; in other words, an inaccurate text that was acquired – to put it politely – by unauthorized means.”
Monsignor Franics Maniscalco told WorldNetDaily the Conference of Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs did not commission or approve the report.
“It was simply the work of those scholars” who drafted it, he said.
That fact, however, did not stop a member of the group of scholars from using the conference’s name in defending the critique.
According to the Herald Sun report, Sister Mary Boys, professor of practical theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York, said, “The Anti-Defamation League and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reviewed the script and we wrote a report that was sent to Mr. Gibson’s company.
“We have concerns about the role of Jews in the movie and we were hoping to get some changes. Mr. Gibson’s company has retaliated by threatening a lawsuit.”
As WorldNetDaily reported, Gibson has lashed out against those he says were planning to “dig up dirt” on him and his family.
“Whenever you take up a subject like [Christ’s crucifixion] it does bring out a lot of enemies,” he said. His private life, his banking records, charities he supports, friends, business associates and family members have all undergone scrutiny in the investigation, he told Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly in January.
“I’m a big boy,” said Gibson. “I can take care of myself, but when you start messing around with my 85-year-old father, watch out,” referring to attempts to scrutinize the beliefs of the actor’s father, Hutton Gibson.
The elder Gibson has been quoted in media reports saying the Holocaust never happened and the World Trade Center was destroyed by remote control, according to the Melbourne paper.
