City of God

“It is as it was”. This, in 2004, was Pope John Paul II’s comment—according to unconfirmed reports from unspecified Vatican sources—on the 2004 movie The Passion of the Christ, directed by the Australian actor and director Mel Gibson. ¹ It seems unlikely that the old pope really uttered such a flattering judgment and, if he did, it was certainly meant to remain strictly confidential. What is certain is that the rumour—perhaps fabricated, certainly vigorously promoted for marketing reasons—spread widely and was accepted as genuine by the public, mainly due to its plausibility. Indeed the pope’s supposed statement chimed well with the expectations and opinions created in the public by the release of the official trailer and the ensuing media debate. ² It also confirmed the impressions and the experience of those who had already seen it and encountered Gibson’s highly original approach to one of the best-known stories of all times.