Out & About
Possible ban on The Da Vinci Code film
By Giselle Borg Olivier
May 1, 2006, 10:50

The Vatican has asked all Catholics to boycott the book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and forthcoming film which promises to be a major blockbuster. A campaign has started in Malta to ban the screening of the film which is due for release this month. The Sunday Morning Herald, reported this news stating that the Vatican has asked Catholics worldwide not to be taken in by fabricated stories of cover-ups within the Church.

Other measures are also being put in place around the world against the advertising of the film.

A promotional poster which was put up on the facade of a state-owned Catholic Church in Rome, had to be removed after church officials called it a provocation. Meanwhile, across the globe in South Korea, a Christian group has filed for a court injunction to stop a film distributor from showing the film, saying it defiled the sanctity of Jesus Christ and distorted facts.

Priests are appealing to people not to fall victims to sensational media which could damage their faith.

Brown’s best-seller The Da Vinci Code has caused international controversy in Catholic countries and the Vatican. The book has been denounced as a work of fiction and heresy, with Church officials claiming that there is no truth to the content. The book says that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had descendants, and talks about cover-ups and scandals within the Catholic organisation the Opus Dei.

According to The Sunday Morning Herald, the Opus Dei, a conservative organisation has asked Sony to put a disclaimer on the film to state that the film is a work of fantasy. Archbishop Angelo Amato, who is a papal intimate and Vatican doctrinal official, denounced the book as "full of calumnies, offences and historical and theological errors".

InTheNews.co.uk stated that a guide has been prepared in Malta to answer controversial questions raised by the film. The film is sure to cause an uproar on the island which is 98% Catholic.

See also:

Curia to publish manual on The Da Vinci Code
By MaltaMedia News - Apr 28, 2006, 15:04 CET

© Copyright 2006 - MaltaMedia Online Network

EXIT PRINTER FRIENDLY VIEW FOR THIS ARTICLE