Polish Far-Right Protests Pro-Abortion Actress as Mary in Gibson's Film

Mel Gibson's upcoming film "The Resurrection of the Christ," a sequel to his 2004 hit "The Passion of the Christ," has sparked controversy due to the casting of Polish actress Kasia Smutniak as the Virgin Mary. Smutniak has been criticized by conservative Christian groups and supporters of Poland's pro-life Law and Justice party because of her public support for the Strajk Kobiet (Women's Strike) movement, which opposes Poland's strict abortion laws. This backlash includes letters sent to Gibson's production company, Icon Productions, and efforts to rally conservative figures internationally. Despite the protests, Gibson has not publicly commented on the controversy, and Smutniak has not issued statements rejecting Gibson's beliefs. The film's main roles have been entirely recast, including Jaakko Ohtonen replacing Jim Caviezel as Jesus and Mariela Garriga replacing Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. The production chose to recast rather than use costly digital de-aging technology to retain original actors.