from Film Forum, 02/06/03While Amen is also gaining rave reviews from mainstream critics, religious press critics take issue with the film's historical accuracy.
Amen explores the seeming silence of Christians during the Nazi persecution of the Jews, skewing its perspective to incriminate the Roman Catholic Church and the leadership of Pope Pius XII. Even the poster, which superimposes a crucifix over the Nazi swastika, seems designed to rile up Christian viewers and to reinforce anti-Christian prejudice. (At Decent Films, Jimmy Akin's 1997 article from The Rock is re-printed in defense of the Pope Pius XII's admirable wartime efforts.)
Gerri Pare (Catholic News Service) says, "While the film addresses a subject we must never forget … it tends to support prejudices that position the Catholic Church as a scapegoat rather than to encourage reflection in the spirit of truth about man's inhumanity to man."
