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Catholics denounce Amen
Movie advances a propaganda line
Catholic leaders in France and at the Vatican have condemned a controversial movie about the Catholic reaction to the Nazi regime—as well as the sensationalistic publicity campaign developed to promote the film. The film, based on the notorious drama The Deputy, by Rolf Hocchuth, is sharply critical of Catholic leaders for their alleged silence in the face of the Holocaust.

Amen, a film by the noted Greek director Constantin Costa-Gavras, was introduced to the French public by means of a poster that depicted a crucifix twisted into the form of a swastika. The French bishops’ conference objected violently to that “intolerable identification of the symbol of Christian faith with Nazi barbarism.” The bishops argued that the poster “can only be denounced by all those who are devoted to human dignity, to religious freedom, and to respect for religious faith.”

A Vatican Radio review of Amen described the film as “mediocre” and “without cinematographical value”—”an ideological re-reading of a tragic page of history.” The Vatican Radio reviewer wondered aloud “what is the point of twisting the historical record, and reducing a part of history to the level of a useless quarrel?”

Speaking to the Italian daily newspaper Avvenire, Father Peter Gumpel, SJ, the postulator for the beatification of Pope Pius XII, complained that the film uses “false arguments to spread calumnies.” He pointed out that there is “no serious historical documentation” to support the charges against Pius XII, while there are “hundreds of witnesses” to testify that both the Pontiff and the Vatican in general worked valiantly to save Jewish lives and to oppose the Nazi regime.

Father Gumpel pointed to one scene in Amen, in which a German Jesuit, frustrated by the Church’s inaction, converts to Judaism and dies in solidarity with the Jews. “I cannot say anything about that individual,” Father Gumpel said, “because he is a pure invention. But if Costa-Gavras had wanted to tell the stories of Catholic priests who gave their lives to save Jews, he would have had more than enough to choose from!”