Free Republic

Edward Cardinal Egan spoke up for the Jews as Mel Gibson's controversial "The Passion of the Christ" was expected to play to packed houses when it opens today. Worried that Gibson's blood-drenched depiction of Christ's Crucifixion could spark a backlash, Egan reminded his flock that anti-Semitism is "morally reprehensible and totally rejected" by Catholic doctrine. "One can safely conclude that what will appear on our movie screens will entail a good deal of extreme human suffering," Egan wrote in a letter to be read at Sunday Mass in March. He stressed that Jews should not be blamed for the death...