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THE Vatican's attitude to the movie of Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code is interesting. The book has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and sparked a huge interest in the origins of the Roman Catholic religion. The movie, starring Tom Hanks, premieres next month at the Cannes Film festival and is expected to be a huge boxoffice success. The Vatican has been exercised for some time by The Da Vinci Code. They are infuriated by the book's assertion that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children by her calling it "pseudo-historic" art. And they adamantly reject the portrayal of Opus Dei in the book, denying that the controversial ultra-conservative group is secretive and elitist.
This weekend one of Pope Benedict's top officials blasted the novel as being full of anti-Christian lies and urged Catholics to boycott it.
Archbishop Angelo Amato is second in command in the Vatican doctrinal office which was headed by Pope Benedict until last year. He hopes that Catholics will not just boycott the movie, but also organise protests against it as some Catholics did when Martin Scorsese brought out The Last Temptation of Christ nearly 20 years ago.
He asserts that if such "lies and errors had been directed against the Koran or the Holocaust they would have justly provoked a world uprising by now. Instead if they are directed against the church and Christians they remain unpunished."
His words could be interpreted as inciting Catholics to action over a Hollywood interpretation of a work of fiction. Dan Brown's book is a thriller in which the main characters uncover clues leading to the Holy Grail while facing down an Opus Dei member who wants to keep the secret. If anything, the movie could benefit the church, provoking a thirst for more knowledge.
It is an engaging brain teaser, but surely not a reason for the Vatican to close the shutters.
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YOU ARE HERE: 19 March 2007 / tribune.ie / 2006 / 04 / 30
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