The Passion of Christ, Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Soufanieh

The Passion of the Christ" is showing in Damascus as of now. In a few weeks Myrna Nazzour will again receive the stigmata of Christ as she does each and every Good Friday when the Easter of the Orthodox and the Easter of the Catholics happen to fall on the same day, which is every four to ten years. It was my prayer that she could see the great production of "The Passion of the Christ" before Good Friday of this year and it seems that she will be able to do so as it is being shown there as I write this Newsletter.

Our Lady is calling all Christians to come together in unity of faith at Damascus. See "The Miracle of Damascus". Our Lady is calling all Christians to spread devotion to Her Immaculate Heart in Fatima and promising a period of peace in the world when this happens.

Personally I see this great artwork, The Passion of the Christ, as a tool to bring about this unity and bring into the world this devotion to Her Immaculate Heart. The Passion shows very clearly the relationship of Mary to Christ and His suffering.

Perhaps Mel Gibson will be used by God to bring about both the goals of Fatima and the goals of Our Lady of Soufanieh.

The Passion of the Christ a hit in Beirut and Damascus

BEIRUT, (AFP) - Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ," accused by some Jewish organizations of encouraging anti-Semitism, is drawing a sizeable if unexceptional audience here while apparently touching an emotional nerve in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

AFP/File Photo

"Coming out of the theater ... I saw a lot of people in tears," reported Fayez Wehbe, who saw the film -- with Arabic sub-titles -- in Damascus.

Certain sequences are in Aramaic, the language that was dominant in the Holy Land at the time of Christ and which can still be heard in certain towns in Syria, notably Maalula and Saadnaya near Damascus.

"Some members of the audience could not conceal their astonishment on hearing some expressions -- such as Ya Illah (My God) -- that are close to Arabic," said Wehbe.

Added another Syrian cinema-goer: "The fact that this film is being shown in the current Middle East context, which opposes Israel and the Arabs, explains part of its success."

Given its popularity in Damascus a fourth showing has been added to the three that had been initially offered, with people often buying tickets in the morning to be sure of getting a place.

The film has spawned reams of commentary because of its unflinchingly graphic portrayal of Christ's crucifixion. In some quarters it has been seen as promoting anti-Semitism by a negative depiction of Christ's fellow Jews, while that view has been strongly rejected in others.

Here in Beirut, the film has been warmly received. Lebanon's Maronite church has described it as "impressive" and found it not to be anti-Semitic.

"It is very sad, extremely impressive," commented Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the spiritual head of the Maronite church.

"We don't see any anti-Semitism there."

An official from one of Beirut's larger movie houses said "the public has come in strong numbers to see 'The Passion' but it has not been an exceptional rush."

North of the capital, in the heavily Christian Junieh region, the film is selling well, although it is off limits to youths under the age of 15.

Elsewhere in the Arab world, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) saw the film at his headquarters in Ramallah on the West Bank and pronounced it "moving."

"The Passion of the Christ" will also be shown in Cairo, where it is likewise forbidden to minors because of its violent scenes, starting March 31, and has been available to movie goers in the Gulf state of Qatar since last Sunday.

"We submitted 'The Passion of the Christ' to the censorship committee, which had no objection to its screening" in Qatar, said Abdul Rahman Mohsen, the director general of a private Qatari cinema company.

The committee usually censors scenes or images depicting prophets from the holy books.

The film is being shown three times a day in a cinema in Doha and will be screened for at least one month, Mohsen said.

Three other Gulf states are currently still reviewing the film, he said.

The movie will be shown to the public in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) beginning March 31 after having been given the green light by the ministry of culture and information, the UAE's Gulf News reported Sunday.