Vatican leader calls for 'Da Vinci' boycott
First posted 06:27am (Mla time) May 01, 2006
Inquirer
Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the May 1, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
ROME -- A Vatican official on Friday called for a boycott of the coming "The Da Vinci Code" film, saying it contained "slanderous" offenses against Christianity that would have provoked a worldwide revolt had they been directed against Islam or the Holocaust, an Italian news agency reported.
Msgr. Angelo Amato -- Pope Benedict XVI's former No. 2 man when Benedict was head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith -- made the comments in a speech at the Pontifical Holy Cross University, which is run by the conservative Catholic movement Opus Dei, the Ansa news agency reported.
"I hope all of you boycott this film," the agency quoted Amato as saying.
He said the film, based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown, was full of "offenses, slander, historical and theological errors concerning Jesus, the Gospel and the Church."
"Slander, offenses and errors that if they were directed toward the Koran or the Shoah would have justifiably provoked a worldwide revolt. Yet because they were directed toward the Catholic Church, they remain 'unpunished,'" Ansa quoted Amato as saying.
Church officials have spoken out repeatedly against the novel and the upcoming film adaptation, which stars Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou. The movie is scheduled for release May 19.
In the novel, Jesus is believed to have married Mary Magdalene who bore his child. The book further claims that Opus Dei, which is close to the Vatican, and the Catholic Church were at the center covering this up.
Last year, Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone -- Amato's predecessor at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- called for a boycott of the book.
And earlier this month, the preacher for the papal household, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, denounced theories that make huge profits in denying Church teaching about Jesus -- an obvious reference to the film.
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, which is portrayed as a murderous, power-hungry sect in the novel, has specifically refrained from publicly calling for a boycott of the film, aware that bitter criticism of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" had helped popularize that movie.
Even so, Opus Dei has asked Sony to put a disclaimer on the movie saying it is a work of fantasy. Sony hasn't responded to that request but its spokespersons have repeatedly said the company views "The Da Vinci Code" as a work of fiction that isn't meant to harm any organization.
Amato's comments were the second this week against the film by Church officials in Rome.
Earlier this week, the interior ministry took down an enormous ad promoting the film that was plastered on the scaffolding of a Rome church after Church officials complained that the film was against Christ and the Catholic Church.
Australian reaction
In Sydney, a Church group has also launched a website and a series of cinema adverts challenging elements of the "Da Vinci Code" to coincide with the release of the movie version.
The A$50,000 (US$38,000) campaign by Anglican Sydney Media urges viewers of the film and readers of Brown's multimillion selling book to seek the truth about Jesus Christ.
"Our concern is that 'The Da Vinci Code' will mislead people about the truth," Bishop Robert Forsyth, the group's chair, said in a statement on Sunday.
"We are not afraid of the film. We are not seeking to discourage people from seeing it," Forsyth added.
"But we are well aware of the power popular films have in filling the information void about Jesus."
The book has already spawned several other websites and books seeking to debunk Brown's claims. Associated Press