Churches and religious groups across the country are offering free tickets to see Mel Gibson's controversial biblical epic "The Passion of the Christ" -- including passes for members of Congress.

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST Movie Review Is Film Too Graphic? Jim Caviezel Interview, Movie Clips, Interview Clips, Slideshow Caviezel Interview (HTML Version)

The Christian Defense Coalition and the National Clergy Council are inviting lawmakers to choose when and where they'd like to view when the film opens in theaters Wednesday.

The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, who heads the coalition, said he hopes "members of Congress, whatever their faith is -- even if they're not Christians -- will be moved by the sacrifice, the commitment, the dedication of Christ."

Mahoney said Christian activists "feel it's important to discuss and have a dialogue on issues of faith, particularly here on Capitol Hill."

Starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ, "The Passion of the Christ" graphically portrays the last 12 hours of Christ's life as depicted in the New Testament. Jewish leaders have been critical of the film for months, fearing that it will spark a new wave of anti-Semitism.

Churches and religious groups have reportedly bought out entire theaters -- and in some cases, megaplexes -- to ensure congregations get a chance to see "The Passion of the Christ" in its first few days of release. The film was to originally open on 2,000 screens, but has since expanded to 2,800 screens.

Caviezel: Role Of Jesus Like No Other

Caviezel said portraying Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ" was unlike any other film role he's had.

Caviezel says he prayed about the burden he felt to show both Jesus' humanity and divinity -- and knew that his prayers were answered from the way people reacted to him on the movie set.

He said some literally dropped to their knees and called him "Jesus."

While that only magnified his sense of sinful inadequacy, Caviezel said that in prayer he felt reassurance that God works through imperfect people who make themselves available.