ADL Director asking Vatican to intervene in "The Passion"

Jewish leader visits Rome, discusses 'Passion' with Vatican officials

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The week before "The Passion of the Christ" was to open on U.S. movie screens, the U.S. director of the Anti-Defamation League asked for a Vatican statement that the film does not reflect Catholic belief about the role of the Jews in the death of Jesus.

As we all know there were no Jews in Jerusalem at that time. Just as there were no Romans. This is all just too much! Lord, have mercy on us!

Abraham H. Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League official, was in Rome Feb. 16-18 on his way to a European conference on anti-Semitism. He said he wanted to use the opportunity to express his concerns about Mel Gibson's film and to seek a Vatican statement about it. "I'm reaching out to the Catholic Church and saying, 'It's time for you to step up to the plate. Mr. Gibson is challenging your teaching,'" Foxman told Catholic News Service Feb. 17.

Mr. Foxman must be seeing and hearing things differently. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"He is marketing this film as the Gospel truth, the historic truth in a way contrary to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and church guidelines on the presentation of the Passion," Foxman said. Vatican II said that Jesus' passion "cannot be blamed upon all the Jews then living, without distinction, nor upon the Jews of today."

Mel Gibson has repeatedly stated that ALL of us bear responsibility - all of us are culpable...I suppose that Mr. Foxman wants to be excluded from all humanity?

Could it be that the next request will be to add some sort of warning to the Gospels - that these also might be a cause of some anti-semitic feelings?