Catholics form their own response group
Catholics form their own response group
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Saturday, 06, May 2006 04:00
UK Catholics have formed their own group to respond to questions raised by the controversial Da Vinci Code film.
Called, the Da Vinci Code Response Group, the group includes members of Opus Dei, and comes just a week after the Vatican officially called for a boycott of the film.
The film, based on the book by Dan Brown, claims that Jesus was actually married to Mary Magdalene and had descendants, a fact that the Opus Dei and the Catholic Church covered up.
Last week, Monsignor Angelo Amato told listeners at a conference that in any other faith, such as Islam, the offences against the beliefs would have caused worldwide revolt.
"If such lies and errors had been directed at the Koran or the Holocaust they would have justly provoked a world uprising," he said. "Instead, if they are directed against the Church and Christians, they remain unpunished."
The new group has condemned the film and the book as "fiction trading as fact" but has not called for a boycott of the film. It is instead hoping to ensure that the movie continues to be understood as fiction.
"We believe the Da Vinci Code is fun and harmless in so far as it is treated as fiction. We do not believe in condemnations, boycotts or protests," said the group.
"Prickliness on the part of Christians leads us into the trap laid by Dan Brown - that the church is on the defensive because it is engaged in a cover-up."
They have also called on Sony Pictures to carry a disclaimer at the start of the film to continue their "fiction" message. The producer has refused to confirm whether a disclaimer will be carried.
The Da Vinci Code will launch May 17 at the Cannes Film Festival.
