Beijing (Asia News) – Thanks to an avalanche of English language pirated copies, the fever for Gibson's blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ" is spreading across China, as young Catholics are taking great pains to encourage their friends and schoolmates to see the film.

AsiaNews sources in the capital have said that during the last few days there have been dozens of showings of the film in small groups and parishes, to which even non-Christians are invited.

A young non-Catholic said: "My only intention was to practice my English by watching the film. Instead, however, the movie really struck me: I can't believe that someone would sacrifice himself for others, even to the point of dying for them," he said. "I want to learn more about Christianity," he added.

"When I was a student at university I read the Bible, but as a work of literature like any other. The reason I read it was to keep up with and learn about western trends of thinking," he said. "Yet after seeing the film I am inspired to read it again. But this time for the sake of serious reflection. I will ask my Catholic friends to tell me more about the Church."

Even the Parish of the Immaculate Conception (Nan Tang) has organized public viewings of the film inside the church, allowing many Catholics to experience an all important moment of their faith and thus prepare themselves to live out Lent and Easter in a little more special way.

However there are some elderly priests who are concerned, saying "young people must be accompanied by competent individuals, by those capable of explaining the film's violent scenes and therefore helping them to have a deeper understanding of the violence (Christ) accepted out of love."

One priest thinks the film is "an excellent evangelizing tool". "Recently many young people have asked or telephoned me to find out if I've seen the film. They tell me they want to chat with me a bit about the movie. Therefore, I am thinking about organizing a public meeting to talk about it."  

An elderly Catholic man, who's not used to seeing films, said, "I thought that nothing good could come from Hollywood, the film industry or its actors. But this time I have been won over…What was that guy's name?...Oh yes, Mel Gibson!"