ABSTRACT
The same year that Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) became a flash point with regard to politics, terrorism, and the military, the Pope was purported to have commented, “It is as it was,” after viewing a special premiere of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (Marcus, 2005; Rutten, 2004). Shortly after news of the Pope’s comment reached the more than a billion Catholics around the world, the Vatican issued a formal statement denying the comment. However, the retraction only added to the brouhaha of publicity enveloping the film. A month later, the actor who played Christ, Jim Caviezel, was issued a personal invitation for a private audience with the Pope. Eventually, The Passion of the Christ became the most lucrative R-rated film of all time.
