The Anti-Defamation League said on Monday an upcoming religious film from actor and director Mel Gibson would lead to hatred of Jews if it is released in its current form.
The film, called "The Passion," is Gibson's depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and events leading up to it. The film has been screened for several groups ahead of its release, and has touched off a firestorm of controversy among organizations and people concerned about anti-Semitism.
Jewish leaders have raised concerns it might portray Jews as collectively guilty for Christ's crucifixion, while Catholics have expressed worries that Gibson might use the film to challenge church teachings.
"The film unambiguously portrays Jewish authorities and the Jewish mob as the ones responsible for the decision to crucify Jesus," Abraham Foxman, the league's national director, said in a statement.
"We are deeply concerned that the film, if released in its present form, will fuel the hatred, bigotry and anti-Semitism that many responsible churches have worked hard to repudiate," Foxman added.
A spokesman for Gibson denied that was the actor's intention.
"No one associated with this film has any interest in fueling hatred, bigotry and anti-Semitism," publicist Alan Nierob told the Hollywood Reporter, a trade paper. "In fact, Mel's interest is just the opposite as he has stated previously that this film is about love, hope, faith and forgiveness."
In a news release posted on its Web-site, the Anti-Defamation League said the movie had been previewed by its Rabbi Eugene Korn, who is the group's director of Interfaith Affairs.
Korn said "The Passion" contains "many dangerous teachings" that Christians and Jews had worked to counter, and he added that the group hopes Gibson and his film production company will "consider modifying" the movie.
The religious groups' concerns were initially sparked by a New York Times Magazine article portraying Gibson as a traditionalist Catholic opposed to reforms of the Vatican II Council of the 1960s, which among other things rejected the belief that Jews were to blame for the death of Jesus.
The movie was shot in Italy and contains dialogue only in Latin and Aramaic with no English subtitles. Gibson directed and co-wrote the film.
A release date for the film has yet to be set.