February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
And even though, at 46, there’s not the same universal demand that he bare his bum at least once per film — yeah, like there was any other reason to sit through “Lethal Weapon 4” — those blue eyes can still make one swoon. But, ladies, please refrain from drooling for the next few minutes, while we tell you about Mel’s serious side. His seriously spiritual serious side, that is.
While filming his upcoming movie, “Passions,” in Italy, Gibson gave an interview to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale in which he revealed that he is just an “old-fashioned Catholic” at heart. And when he says old fashioned, it’s not just a figure of speech: Gibson says that he is passionately committed to the Latin Mass.
The actor built a private chapel on the grounds of his home in Malibu, Calif. Each Sunday, Mass is conducted in much the same way it was for hundreds of years before Vatican II: in Latin, with the priest facing the altar, and plenty of “In Domine spiritus sanctus.” The Church discontinued this practice in the 1960s, and this form is rarely used today. But then, Mel doesn’t really care about the church’s stamp of approval.
“My love for religion was transmitted to me by my father,” the actor said.
Of course, this firm love of religion comes as no surprise to people from the misty rolling midlands of County Longford. In this region, from whence his mother hails, it is the firmly held belief that young Gibson was named for the local cathedral, St. Mel’s.
But as much as he loves his religion, he has very little time for the hierarchy.
“I do not believe in the church as an institution,” he said.
Mel admits, though, that his rather jaundiced view is not shared by the rest of the family. In fact, his 22-year-old daughter, Heather, told him recently that she wants to become a nun.
Hey, who knew we had so much in common with Mel’s little girl? It’s a little-known fact that we wanted to be a nun, too, and used to hang rosary beads off our school uniform belt. Unfortunately, that was before we discovered James Kiley and “Spin the Bottle.”
Where were we? Oh, yes, Hannah Gibson and her vocation. Happily, Mel’s able to rise above his personal prejudices and give the kid his blessing. He says he’s happy about her decision and says he’s not worried about her.
“[Heather is] happy, smart and well-traveled,” he said confidently. Although he probably meant to say that she is “felcita, captiosa et mundialis.”