APRIL 15, 1952
THE PASSION: (Rome) – In the Italian village of Grassina the 300th annual performance of «The Passions of Christ» was held under the auspices of Italy’s three political parties, including the Communist Party. The participation of the latter was important since 70 percent of the electorate in the village vote for it. The village mayor is also a communist. The other two parties were the Christian Democrats, having a quarter of the village electorate on its side, and the pro-communist Socialist Party of Mr Nenni, an anti-Church party with little influence in the village. The performance is one of the six given each year in various parts of Italy and is noted for its realism. In fact the highlight of the action, which lasts three full hours, is the «crucifixion» of three village men, two of whom play the part of the robbers crucified on each side of Christ, and the third Christ himself. With the aid of ropes, all three were hung on 8.5-meter-high crosses at the top of a hill outside the village. Small wooden plants nailed below the feet of the men supported their weight. They stayed in that position, almost naked and in the cold of the night, for about half an hour.
