Catholic, Jewish leaders discuss impact of movie

WASHINGTON (AP) — A panel of U.S. Jewish and Roman Catholic leaders said this month that religious educators should not use Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" alone to teach young people about the Crucifixion.

The Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee said teachers should also use educational material, such as the U.S. bishops' guidelines on how to depict Christ's final hours, to explain the "complex historical context of the Passion narratives that no single film could fully convey."

Jewish leaders, along with some of their Christian colleagues, have said the Gibson film contains disturbing stereotypes of the Jewish role in the death of Jesus. Many Christians have countered that the movie is the most powerful depiction they had seen of the Crucifixion.

The bishops' guidelines emphasize the teachings of the Second Vatican Council that Jews are not collectively responsible for Christ's death.

Gibson denies that the blockbuster movie is anti-Semitic.