MEL GIBSON'S "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST"
Will the Enemies of Christ Find a Way to Profit from "The Passion"?
February 22, 2004
By Toby Westerman
Copyright 2004 International News Analysis Today
www.inatoday.com
In a strange turn of events, the enemies of Christ may find a way to profit from Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."
"The Passion" promises to be one of the most popular and inspiring films produced - despite criticism from several groups, including advocates of radical feminist spirituality. Jim Caviezel, who portrays Christ, is already a highly visible figure, and the subject of intense media interest.
Ironically, the very feminists who complain about Gibson's film may ultimately profit from it, and use those financial resources to attempt to destroy Christianity in general, and the Catholic Church in particular.
Caviezel, a staunch Catholic who has endured his own crisis of faith, may be an unwitting link between the fame and success of "The Passion of the Christ" and advocates of radical feminist spirituality.
During an interview on Michael Corbin's "For a Closer Look" radio show, Phillip J. Kronzer, the fraud-busting founder of the
Kronzer Foundation for Religious Research, cited a report in an orthodox Catholic publication which revealed a meeting between Caviezel and Ivan Dragicevic, referred to as a Medjugorje "mystic."
Caviezel stated that he deepened his faith at Medjugorje, and went on retreat with Dragicevic to prepare for the role in Gibson's "The Passion," according to the article cited by Kronzer.
Caviezel not only strengthened his faith, but also unknowingly entered into a raging international controversy, with fundamental implications for Christianity, religious obedience, and the rise of feminist spiritualism.
"I know Ivan Dragicevic," Kronzer said, who expressed disbelief in any profound spirituality attributed to the Medjugorje "mystic."
"I entertained Dragicevic at my house, he played tennis there, and even had visions in that home," Kronzer stated. Kronzer later lost the home following the breakup of his family.
Kronzer fears that Ceviezel's association with Dragicevic will give Medjugorje increased favorable publicity. "Think about all the other victims they're going to drag into their cult," he said.
Ceviezel and his wife spoke at a recent "International Day of Prayer and Fasting," conducted by the highly controversial Ted and Maureen Flynn, important supporters of the Medjugorje cult.
The Flynns' association with the now-defunct Refuge Movement and its disgraced leader, Marv Kucera, is presented in "The Medjugorje Deception," by E. Michael Jones. The Kronzer Foundation continues to trace the relationship of the Flynns to other questionable individuals and associations.
For over ten years, Kronzer has documented the relationship between Medjugorje and individual and radical feminist organizations seeking to overturn the traditional understanding of Christianity.
Kronzer attributes the destruction of his family to the influence of top feminist advocates of the Medjugorje cult. Kronzer's wife, Ardie, left him on June 30, 1994, Phil Kronzer's birthday, and she began sharing a house with an influential Medjugorje promoter.
The link between Medjugorje and radical feminism lies in those promoting the cult's "seers." Millions, if not billions, of dollars have flowed to those advocating Medjugorje, from the Franciscans in the small Bosnian town, to travel and event promoters in the U.S.
Kronzer claims a connection between many top supporters of Medjugorje and a series of questionable visionaries. The personal lives of those top supporters and the "seers" are often at odds with traditional Catholicism, Kronzer declared.
Money flows into the coffers of feminist spiritualists through contacts with Medjugorje promoters, who fund and advance theories and practices contrary to Christian beliefs.
The Medjugorje industry has enriched those involved in it, including Dragicevic, who owns homes in Medjugorje and Boston, drives luxury cars, and married an American beauty queen. The Kronzers were only one of many wealthy families with whom Dragicevic and other Medjugorje "seers" have associated over the years.
Though followed by millions of believers, Medjugorje has drawn condemnation from many prominent Catholics. Corbin reminded his listeners that Fr. Malachi Martin branded Medjugorje "Satanic from the beginning," and pro-life leader, Fr. Paul Marx, described Medjugorje as a "hoax" in an exclusive interview with INA Today.
Michael Davies, long-time conservative Catholic author and speaker, cited a statement by the famous Catholic convert (and ex-Communist organizer) Hamish Fraser, who also denounced Medjugorje. "I know that it was the view of the late Hamish Fraser that Medjugorje was a means being utilized by Satan to subvert the message of Fatima," Davies wrote.
Davies has published online the first draft of the fifth printing of his latest book on Medjugorje, Medjugorje After Twenty-two Years - The Definitive History
The present and former bishops of Mostar, the diocese in which Medjugorje is located, have issued their opposition to the "apparitions" and "messages," and the regional bishops' conference is similarly skeptical.
In 2002, international authorities conducted a military-style bank raid on Hercegovacka Banka, owned in part by the Medjugorje Franciscans. An audit of the materials obtained from the bank implicated the Medjugorje Franciscans in a pattern of money laundering and other illegal financial transactions.
The Medjugorje Franciscans, the original supporters of the "seers," have been the subject of continual charges of disobedience to their superiors and the local bishop, as well as what ought to be devastating accusations of sexual misconduct.
The Kronzer Foundation for Religious Research may be contacted at:
The Kronzer Foundation for Religious Research
Related Web Site:
Medjugorje After Twenty-two Years - The Definitive History,
SEE ALSO:
MELS TRIUMPH AND THE STRUGGLE FOR CHRISTIANITY
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