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Saturday, May 13, 2006
Philippine bishops hit Da Vinci Code author
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday criticized author Dan Brown “for building erroneous impressions” against the Catholic Church and the Christian faith.
“It cannot be denied that fiction shapes the imagination, stirs emotions and forms mental associations. (Dan) Brown has created the impression that his fiction is historical fact,” Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said in a two-page pastoral statement.
He also said Brown “immensely fabricated great lies by making it appear that he indeed made a thorough research to convince his readers.”
“He employs the tool of unraveling the alleged secrets of the (Catholic) Church through the interpretation of symbols and codes hidden in works ofa art notably of Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa,” the prelate said.
Attack
The bishops added their voice to the growing opposition to “The Da Vinci Code,” a movie which will be shown worldwide on Wednesday next week. It is directed by Ron Howard and is top-billed by Tom Hanks.
Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, for his part, branded “The Da Vinci Code” as a “vicious attack on the divinity of Jesus Christ.”
Rosales, in a letter sent to priests and clergymen in the Manila Archdiocese said the soon-to-be released film based on the book “is nonetheless another way to attack the divinity of Jesus Christ.”
“Not since the time of the Presbyter Arius (336) was there an attack on the divinity of Jesus Christ, which was as vicious and as momentarily profitable as this venture of Dan Brown and Sony Film Productions,” Rosales said.
Rosales also said the novel “could now be considered as an attractive presentation of a ‘Rorschach test’ of Dan Brown who saw in Leonardo Da Vinci’s theme of the Cenacle or the Last Supper a cue to attack the virginity of Jesus, His purity of conduct and thought.”
“The actual issue of the classic Da Vinci’s Last Supper, a misnomer, was his (Da Vinci’s) conception of the theme which was completely dominated by the idea of portraying the announcement of the betrayal as the central motive,” the cardinal said.
Challenge
Although the CBCP and Cardinal Rosales did not categorically call for a ban against “The Da Vinci Code” in the Philippines, the clergymen considered the novel as a challenge for the Catholic Church to be more zealous in its evangelization.
“Like in anything negative, let us take this occasion to convert the cinema industry’s money-motive production into a pastoral challenge, an evangelization and catechetical moment of grace,” he added.
And as part of their program to guide the faithful, the CBCP and Cardinal Rosales have issued guidelines for Filipino Catholics.
Among the guidelines are equipping the people with the Holy Scriptures not only in their homes but also in schools, ecclesial communities and Church organizations and appealing to publishers and people in media to practice their profession responsibly with uncompromising respect for the truth. (Sunnex)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 13, 2006 issue)
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