It was reported last week that Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ had broken all records in Malta. Nothing to be surprised about. It was expected, especially in a country with the Catholic culture of Malta and during the season of Lent.
To help our readers analyse the film in the framework of the international debate that surrounds it we propose the third in a series of a collection of comments about it.
In Italy there was a similar situation to that which developed in Malta. The Church is stricter with the film than the government.
The Italian government's film commission decided not to impose any age restrictions or recommendations for The Passion of the Christ. However, the Italian bishops' conference, while describing it as "acceptable", said special precautions should be taken before showing the film to children and teenagers. The film about the last 12 hours of Jesus' life is scheduled to open in Italy on Wednesday.
The film evaluation commission of the Italian ministry for cultural goods and activities, which does not rate films but decides if and when admission should be limited to viewers over 14 or 18 years old, on March 23 voted to impose no restrictions.
On the other hand the Italian bishops' national commission for film evaluations praised Gibson's film for conveying the truth that "the responsibility for the condemnation inflicted on Jesus does not belong to one people, but to all of sinful humanity".
However, it said, "in the face of so much violence" in the film, people must remember that "Jesus's death on the cross saves us not because of the quantity of suffering he endured", but because he endured it in absolute fidelity to God's will and with total love for humanity.
In Malta the Church film commission gave it an AA (adults and adolescents) certificate while the state censors gave it a "12" certificate. Mexican regulators have restricted viewing to adults. Other Latin American countries have not been so strict. Argentina allows viewers aged 16 and over to see the film, while 14-year-olds can see it in Brazil, Chile and Peru.
Reaction in other countries varies. Cardinal Jozef Glemp, the Primate of Poland, described it as a "great, decisive film" and predicted it would assist better knowledge and comprehension of Christ's mission. The editor of Poland's leading Catholic weekly, Tygodnik Powszechny, said The Passion suggested that "the secret of redemption consists in Christ's suffering as much as possible".
Bishops in neighbouring Germany criticised the film's excessive violence and warned against its use "as an instrument of anti-Semitism".
"With its drastic portrayal of atrocities, the film reduces the Bible's message in a problematic way," the bishops' conference said in a statement. "Since this could lead to misunderstandings by viewers not familiar with Christianity, we believe accompanying information is needed."
Catholic bishops in Austria warned that the film could leave non-Christians with a "total misunderstanding of the Christian faith's foundations."
The secretary-general of the Hungarian bishops' conference, Bishop Andras Veres of Eger, called the film accurate and "infinitely enriching".
"The film permits a profound sympathy toward the bloodied and martyred figure of Christ, presented in a very - perhaps even excessively - naturalistic way," the bishop told Hungary's MTI news agency.
Several prominent Mexican bishops praised The Passion, and one even recommended his parishioners see it. "This is very well done and of great artistic value," Mexico City Cardinal Norberto Rivera said after a special screening of the film for Church officials.
Saltillo Bishop Raul Vera Lopez said the film's graphic depiction of Jesus being brutally beaten probably would not shock many in Mexico, where figures of a bloodied Christ are found in most churches.
Philippine bishops who watched advance screenings of the film recommended it to Filipinos of all faiths. Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales of Manila said the film shows "the reality of evil and the triumph of good" and said he hoped it would awaken Filipino spirituality. "As part of the history of Jesus, I would like all Filipinos to watch the film because it holds a promise for us," Archbishop Rosales said. "The suffering of Jesus is meaningful for us today, as we see in the suffering of the poor that calls us to respond."