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| | Boston.com / A&E / Movies / Vatican denies pope endorsed Gibson film |
 | | Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the pope's longtime personal secretary, now has said the pontiff did not give a thumbs up to "The Passion of the Christ," as the producers have claimed. |
 | | Dziwisz's remarks carry extra weight because the Vatican usually lets its spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, talk for the pope. |
 | | Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League said he's heartened by Dziwisz's words: "I'm glad the Vatican is, in fact, putting out the word that the pope did not endorse this movie." Gibson, who put $25 million into "The Passion of the Christ," denies his film, which portrays the torture of Jesus, maligns Jews. |
| www.boston.com /ae/movies/articles/2004/01/21/vatican_denies_pope_endorsed_gibson_film (404 words) |
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