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"It's interesting that, when you do touch this subject, it does have a lot of enemies. And there are people sent. I've seen it happening," he said on the The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News. "Since I've been in Rome here, for example, I know that there are people sent from reputable publications—they go about, while you're busy over here, they start digging into your private life and sort of getting into your banking affairs and any charities you might be involved in. And then they start bothering your friends and your business associates and harassing your family, including my 85-year-old father. I find it a little spooky."

"If Mel Gibson's thesis is correct and there is an agenda to embarrass him because he is making a movie sympathetic to Jesus, now we have a serious situation on our hands," Bill O'Reilly said on today's show. "Secular editors have no right to hurt people with whom they disagree. … And the news organization that publishes that kind of an article is going to have a major problem."

The New York Post alleges that The New York Times is leading the crusade.

But Gibson wanted to talk more about the film than about his celebrity woes. "I think it's meant to just tell the truth," he said. "I want to be as truthful as possible. But, when you look at the reasons behind why Christ came, why he was crucified, he died for all mankind and he suffered for all mankind, so that, really, anybody who transgresses has to look at their own part or look at their own culpability. It's time to sort of get back to a basic message, the message that was given. At this time, the world has gone nuts, I think. Christ spoke of faith, hope, love and forgiveness. And these are things I think we need to be reminded of again. He forgave as he was tortured and killed. And we could do with a little of that behavior."

Theology:

• Archbishop's theology not orthodox | Author says differences not restricted to sexual ethics as frequently reported (Garry Williams, The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• Church put to DNA test | Instructor risks expulsion with his claim that Book of Mormon is racist (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
  
  
• Unitarian Universalists may add 'God' to beliefs | "We have lost the ability to speak of what is sacred and holy to us," says president (Ft. Worth [Tex.] Star-Telegram)

Faith-based initiative:

• Line blurs on 'faith-based' efforts | Job trainees get a lift as religious groups use state funds (The San Diego [Calif.] Union-Tribune)
  
  
• State veterans' shelters losing faith | Religious groups get more grants from U.S. (The Boston Globe)

Abortion:

• Declining U.S. abortion rate at its lowest level since 1974 | In 2000, there were 21.3 abortions per 1,000 women age 15 to 44 (USA Today)
  
  
• New poll shows tilt to protect unborn | Nearly 70 percent of Americans say they favor "restoring legal protection for unborn children" (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Bush declares Sanctity of Human Life Day | But the president also stopped short of condemning abortion—or the cause of abortion rights activists—outright, using only the veiled language of the anti-abortion movement (Associated Press)

Clergy sex abuse:

• Trail of pain in church crisis leads to nearly every diocese | More than 1,200 priests are known to have abused more than 4,000 minors over the last six decades, according to an extensive New York Times survey (The New York Times)
  
  
• Mediating church scandals | Process can benefit both parties. But will it perpetuate secrecy? (The Christian Science Monitor)
  
  

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January (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47