Can a female portray Jesus in a Passion play?

[cmtherese]

On Palm Sunday I was shocked to see Jesus being portrayed by a young female teen in a Passion play during the Gospel reading at Mass. There were also males in the play, but playing different parts (e.g., Pontius Pilate) so they were NOT short on males who could have portrayed Jesus. Can a female portray Jesus in a Passion play or is this some sort of sacrilege?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

The problem here is not simply that a female portrayed Christ. In some circumstances – such as a play put on in a secular venue – that might not be a problem, provided it was clear to the audience that Jesus is a man. In religious venues, however, such as during a public representation of the Gospels for a religious event, Jesus should be portrayed by a male to avoid scandal and as a public affirmation of the reality of the Incarnation of God as a man.

The problem here is that there shouldn’t have been a Passion play performed during the Gospel reading at Mass. The custom of using more than one reader for the Passion narratives on Palm Sunday and Good Friday does not give license to anyone to turn the reading of the Gospel during Mass into amateur theater.