What the hell does "It is as it was" mean? That the movie captures the historical and spiritual significance of the passion? One logical possibility.
How does anybody know THAT, if in fact that is what it means?
If you take the statement literally, then the pope must have received a private revelation from God.
A third possibility is that the pope is speaking figuratively, basing his judgement on his knowledge of Scripture, Tradition and private revelations given to canonized saints.
The bottom line being ... Noonan is absurd. She is always absurd. She has latched onto conservatism and developed a ridiculous tone in her banal expositions of what is conservative. The most incredible writers out there are conservative ... but Noonan is not one of them.