[HiTech RedNeck]

The Catholic Church cannot be terribly enthusiastic about a cinematic presentation of a theology that rejects current papal teaching on the Jews.

Can any Catholics help clear up exactly what the film shows that contradicts the pope? I would've thought Rome would be up in arms about it, if it did. Even the pope himself reportedly paid it a compliment.

[Qwinn]

It only "rejects current papal teaching on the Jews" if you think that the film is anti-Semitic. It isn't, therefore it doesn't. This is typical of liberal hyperbole, building one false thesis on top of another.

Qwinn

[AMDG&BVMH]

"what the film shows that contradicts the pope"

You will probably like the answer from Quinn better, because it gets to the point. However, if you want the argument disected:

1. Hutton and Mel Gibson are among many Catholics who have concerns about Vatican II. Mostly it is about the implementation, not the doctrine -- e.g. Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Varican dept of doctrine. Some go far enough to belong to a Catholic group that still uses the 1962 Latin mass, and aren't in full communion with the Pope. That said, they are strictly orthodox followers of traditional Catholic doctrine. And Vatican II didn't change doctrine.

2. Vatican II emphasized that the Jews at the time and now are not collectively responsible for the death of Jesus. The critics use this part of the Vatican II teaching to hang Mel with; implying, he is not in accord with Vatican II ergo he rejects the Pope's statement about the Jews not being collectively guilty, ergo he is an anti-Semite, and so is the movie. There.

3. But, that is not a new teaching. As far back as the Council of Trent, the Roman Catechism (1500s) states that Christians are more responsible than Jews for the sufferings of Christ. It makes sense that Vatican II reemphasized and further distanced Christianity from blaming "the Jews" since it was only a few years after the Holocaust.

Basically, it is a series of non-sequiters to prove Mel is an anti-Semite, and to clothe it with the authority of the Pope!