The World - News from Sept. 29, 1988

Roman Catholic traditionalists demonstrating against the film “The Last Temptation of Christ” threw tear gas canisters into a crowded Paris cinema and clashed with riot police, French authorities said. About 1,000 Parisians converged on two theaters for separate demonstrations to protest the opening of the Martin Scorsese film many have termed “blasphemous.” Holding banners and wooden crosses aloft, about 500 protesters sang hymns and cheered speeches peacefully at one of the cinemas. But at the other theater, followers of traditionalist Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre threw tear gas canisters among the seats and broke a window, forcing the evacuation of about 120 people.