‘The Passion’ will touch hearts, says Denver archbishop

Denver, Colo., Jan 26, 2004 / 22:00 pm

One will "never read the Scriptural accounts of Christ’s Passion in quite the same way" after seeing "The Passion of the Christ", said Archbishop Charles Chaput, who expressed his support for the film in a column he submitted to be published in "Our Sunday Visitor" this week.

The archbishop of Denver said the film will touch many hearts very deeply after it is released Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25. He said he was moved at the both screenings that he attended. The film also had a powerful effect on the young adults who watched it with him the second time, he said.

The film "will touch anyone with an open heart and an open mind," wrote the archbishop, because it portrays the life of Jesus, which "invites us to be heroes as Jesus was a hero.

"It brings alive the Gospel accounts of Jesus, His Crucifixion, His mother and disciples in a way no other film has ever accomplished."

The archbishop encouraged Catholics to see the film despite the fact, he wrote, that the film’s critics will probably get louder as the release date of the film approaches. "Ignore them," he wrote. "Decide for yourselves."