Leonard Swidler responds to a letter Bishop Joseph Devine sent to all Scottish priests as part of a nationwide promotion of Gibson’s Passion. The text of the letter was published by Zenit on March 16, 2004. Swidler's comments are bold

March 2004

Dear Rev. Father,

On 26 February, I travelled to London to attend the UK premiere of "The Passion of The Christ" in my capacity as President of the National Communications Commission.

I left feeling that the film is without question the most powerful I have ever seen. It represents a stunningly successful attempt at committing an extraordinary event to film.

Despite the controversy surrounding the production it is undeniably a profoundly religious film, which I believe does not seek to attack or demonise any group.

Doubtless Gibson does not "seek" to attack Jews, but the film nevertheless defacto subconsciously makes it clear that the justice-seeking Roman Pilate tried in vain to save Jesus from the hatred of Caiaphas and other Jewish leaders, who of course dominated Pilate. But, every historian of the field knows that Pilate was a bloodthirsty tyrant who crucified hundreds of Jews, all for political reasons, and that the high priests were the appointed puppets of the Roman procurator, Pilate -- not the other way around, as the film, and to some extent the gospels, have it.

The message at the heart of the film is that Christ's suffering and death lead to the redemption of humanity.

How is this the case? This is a "belief" that much of traditional -- though not all! -- Christian theology has asserted. However, whenever it is explained ( e.g., Anselm's "cur deus homo?" why did God become human?) how this "redemption" (meaning, "to buy back") takes place, it really blasphemes God, for he is made into a rigid God who will be "bought off" only through the satisfaction of his bloodlust!

As Christians, we believe that Christ suffered and died for us

Not just suffered and died, but, and more importantly, showed us how to live, which of course ineluctably includes suffering and death.

 -- though often it is a belief taken for granted and not examined in any detail. This film brings that suffering to life in vivid, brutal and sometimes unwatchable detail -- in doing so it forces the viewer to confront that central truth of the Christian message.

I believe this is the most authentic depiction of the Passion ever committed to film and would urge all those who are able, to see it for themselves before reaching a judgement on it.

The bishop obviously is unaware, or chooses to overlook, the many, many deviations from both the gospels and from confirmed historical data the film indulgences in. It actually quite faithfully follows the alleged visions of the 19th century (mystic-epileptic?) Catherine Emmerich who imagined many non-historical details concerning the Passion..

With this letter I enclose a flyer you may wish to display in the church porch and a listing of cinemas across Scotland, which will show the film when it goes on general release on 26 March. You may also wish to download supporting resources for use in group and parish discussions about the film.

Links to these resources can be found on the website of the Catholic Media Office, www.scmo.org.

I hope these materials will assist you in promoting a film described by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos as "more effective than all the sermons I'll ever preach".

Yours sincerely
+ Joseph Devine
Bishop of Motherwell
President, National Communications Commission
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