Gibson finds religion

Mel Gibson says he attended Mass every morning while shooting his controversial film The Passion.

“We had to be squeaky clean just working on this,” he told a convention of church leaders in Colorado Springs.

“It was a strange mixture of the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, along with this incredible ease,” he said of the film.

“Everyone who worked on this movie was changed. There were agnostics and Muslims on the set converting to Christianity.”

The film, which depicts the final 12 hours in the life of Christ, has been criticised by some as being anti-Semitic, but Gibson says it was inspired by his Christian faith.

“I’m not a preacher and I’m not a pastor,” he said, “but I really feel my career was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power to evangelise.”

The Passion, which was shot in the Aramaic language of the time, will be released next March.