Blessed are the film makers, for they shall spread the Word… Christ never spoke those words during the Sermon on the Mount, and Pope John Paul II never gave his blessing to Mel Gibson’s controversial new movie about the life of Christ. 

The Pope’s secretary refutes claims that Pope John Paul II gave his blessing to the controversial film after a private viewing in his apartment in December. 

There have been widespread press reports that the Pope endorsed the film after he watched it, when he said "It is as it was". 

Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who has been the pontiff’s secretary during his entire papacy, says that those reports are simply untrue. 

" I told the producers the Holy Father did not make any judgment, because he does not make judgments of that kind," Dziwisz said in an Associated Press report. "He said nothing of the kind."

Just where did the quote come from then? Who knows, but we have a fresh new controversy surrounding the film to help sell some tickets. 

However, regardless of the Pope’s feelings about the film, the Almighty seemed to have weighed in on the matter when the actor playing Christ was hit by lightning during the filming of the movie (see story). 

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