He made a blockbuster film about Jesus and even built his own church on a mountain. So just how Catholic is Mel Gibson? So in the actor decided to help change things back to the way they were, building a chapel in Malibu, Calif. Tucked away in the tree-covered mountains of Agoura Hills, 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, the rustic church, unaffiliated with the Roman Catholic archdiocese, has a foot-tall crucifix on the altar and the priest keeps his back to the parishioners as he performs mass every morning entirely in Latin.
Jump to navigation. In a recent video appearance , Hollywood actor Mel Gibson espoused anti-Vatican II views and endorsed a new organization for so-called "canceled" priests whose bishops have removed them from ministry for defying church authorities or expressing controversial opinions.
I don't think it's Jesus. Is it [Pope] Francis? Who's hiring Francis? Is it Pachamama? It was doing pretty well. Gibson's remote endorsement provided some star power for a Sept. The event, advertised as "a rally and rosary of reparation," featured right-wing Catholic radio hosts David Gray and Jason Jones as speakers. The event's other headline personality was Fr.
James Altman , the rogue priest from the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, whose bishop issued a decree in early July removing him from parish ministry and restricting his priestly faculties because of his divisive style.
Altman, who was also ordered to meet monthly with his diocesan vicar for clergy and undergo a monthlong retreat for spiritual renewal, showed he intends to continue defying his bishop. Oh, what an immense amount of good the motion pictures can bring about! That is why the evil spirit, always so active in the world, wants to pervert this instrument for his own impious purposes, and it is encouraging to know that your group is aware of the danger, and more and more conscious of its grave responsibility before society and God.
Could Gibson produce a film of balance and beauty on Christ's Passion, given his background? The Italian Press The Italian press provided Rome its first, not always reliable, information about the approach Mel was taking. It recounted his colorful, flamboyant "table talk," including an occasional anti-Pope remark, confirming reports already circulating about his anti-Rome views.
Il Giornale quoted him as saying the Vatican was "a wolf in sheep's clothing" and mentioned his father's theories that neither the current occupant of Peter's chair nor the three previous occupants were legitimate. Almost immediately, priests who talked and worked with Mel reported that these stories were not entirely accurate, and that Gibson had actually spoken respectfully and admiringly of John Paul II.
The two words often heard from those trying to explain what kind of film he might be making were: "sensationalist" and "Zeffirelli. Many considered its sensitive, reverential treatment of Jesus a benchmark for Gibson's work. Mel carried out his own public information campaign, speaking openly about why he was in Italy.
It's also a big melting pot and has a huge and diverse talent pool. We relied heavily on the look that was there. In fact, the first time I saw it, I just went crazy because it was so perfect. There Gibson constructed a huge two-and-a-half acre scale replica of the Sacred City with its Temple, courtyard, Pilate's palace and praetorium , with columns, gigantic stone steps, roads and street scenes.
The Cinecitta studios are located beyond the ruins of the Roman Baths of Caracalla and the Catacombs on the edge of Rome. Not only did Gibson's intense enthusiasm and commitment to historical accuracy win favor; almost everything he said about the film sounded unlike any religious remarks ever quoted from a Hollywood director.
Soon priest and seminarian visitors, notably the Legionaries of Christ, were describing a man who spoke and acted like an evangelist. They described him as a devout Catholic who lived his faith, was committed to the truth of the Gospel and the divinity of Christ, a passionate artist idealistically striving for perfection.
They also reported that the actor playing Jesus, James Caviezel , was a man of similar mind and faith. They found the atmosphere on the set full of seriousness and respect, with reverence for the subject matter of the Gospel.
They told of regular Masses in Latin , communion and confession for Catholics in the group who wanted them. Maia Morgenstern , daughter of a Holocaust survivor, who plays Mary in the movie, said priests often visited the set and Gibson attended Mass regularly. But she never felt the Catholic presence was intrusive. It was "discreet," she said. One thing Gibson wanted to avoid was making "a cheesy Hollywood epic.
He and his cinematographer, Caleb Deschanel , conceived of modeling the shots on the paintings of Caravaggio. After reviewing initial frames, a delighted Gibson shouted: "It's a moving Caravaggio!
Paul's teaching that 'if we die with Christ, we will rise with Christ. The page report of these professors had the effect of tossing gasoline on a smoldering debate. Chaput reasserted the rock-bottom principle of fair play: "I find it. If he has produced a good film, a film of beauty and power and faith, then it deserves a chance to succeed without being cut to pieces before it even opens.
We'll get a chance to love or criticize The Passion soon enough. On July 7, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins , with the Pope present, read a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich , a mystic and stigmatist who died in This will lead to her beatification.
She suffered from crippling illness most of her life and John Paul has found her holiness inspiring. It has not been recognized by the Los Angeles Diocese. The traditionalist form of Catholicism the church preaches grew out of the split within the Catholic Church following the passage of Vatican II in the s, which attempted to modernize the church by doing away with mass in Latin and reconciling with the Jews.
Some notable traditionalists have been accused of anti-Semitism. They include the Rev. Stephen Somerville, who was Gibson's spiritual adviser during the filming of "The Passion of the Christ. Gibson's father, Hutton, who is also a traditionalist, has publicly expressed doubts that 6 million Jews were really murdered in the Holocaust. That means the Church of the Holy Family only conducts masses in Latin.
Women are required to wear skirts or dresses to church and keep their heads covered. And divorce, as in most sects of Catholicism, is looked down upon.
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