Posted on 05/15/2006 4:08:09 PM PDT by NYer
"Catholics Are Victims of an Offense"
ROME, MAY 15, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The press office of the Opus Dei Prelature sent this statement to ZENIT on Friday in response to comments by the director of the soon-to-be-released film "The Da Vinci Code."
* * *
On Thursday the Italian press published interviews with Ron Howard, director of "The Da Vinci Code" film. In statements attributed to him, Howard said that "to deny the right to see the film is a fascist act," and also "to tell someone not to go see the film is an act of militancy and militancy generates hatred and violence." The Opus Dei is mentioned several times in these interviews. The phrases seem to refer to recent statements by Church authorities.
I would ask Ron Howard to keep calm and express himself with respect.
It is not wise to lose sight of the reality of the situation: This film is offensive to Christians. Howard represents the aggressor, and Catholics are victims of an offense. The one offended cannot have his last right taken away, which is to express his point of view. It is not the statements of ecclesiastics or the respectful request of Opus Dei -- to include a notice at the beginning of the film that it is a work of fiction -- which generates violence. It is rather the odious, false and unjust portrayals that fuel hatred.
In his statements, Howard also repeats that it is simply a film, an invented story, and that it must not be taken too seriously. But it is not possible to deny the importance of the movies and literature. Fiction influences our way of seeing the world, especially among young people. It is not right not to take it seriously. Artistic creativity certainly needs a climate of freedom, but freedom cannot be separated from responsibility.
Imagine a film that says that Sony was behind the attacks on the Twin Towers, which it promoted because it wanted to destabilize the United States. Or a novel that reveals that Sony paid the gunman who shot the Pope in St. Peter's Square in 1981, because it was opposed to the Holy Father's moral leadership. They are only invented stories. I imagine that Sony, a respectable and serious company, would not be happy to see itself portrayed in this way on the screens, and that it would not be satisfied with an answer such as "Don't worry, it's only fiction, it mustn't be taken too seriously, freedom of expression is sacred."
In any case, those who have taken part in the film's project have no reason to be concerned. Christians will not react with hatred and violence, but with respect and charity, without insults or threats. They can continue to calculate tranquilly the money they will make on the film, because the freedom of financial profit seems to be in fact the only sacred freedom, the only one exempt from all responsibility. They will probably make a lot of money, but they are paying a high price by deteriorating their prestige and reputation.
I hope the controversy of these months will not be sterile but serve to reflect on the relative character of financial profit when high values are involved; on the importance of fiction; on responsibility, which always supports and protects freedom.
[The statement added:]
The plan of Opus Dei's Communication Office in regard to this case may be found on the Web page www.opusdei.org, which explains in detail its position over these months.
[From] Manuel Sánchez Hurtado, in charge of relations with the international press, at the Opus Dei's press office in Rome
yet once again - for the history challenged - it ain't Brown's invention or idea...
it's all been around for centuries = a little research before crediting or condemning Brown might be enLIGHTening to those who don't feel the need to be spoon fed and coddled
I simply pointed out one such diversion - that is not in MY Bible - and it was more than one scene -
LOL
Once again, for the history-challenged: Brown did not manufacture these themes - he is being both credited and vilified for ideas that have been around for centuries...he just happened to turn them into a good fiction read that caught on...Caution: do NOT read any of the many nonfiction books on this subject. It doesn't look like you could handle it.
But for those who don't need to be stuck in a comfortable spoon-fed cocoon, you can read my post # 53 for a tiny tip of the iceberg on the histories upon which Brown drew: I simply copy-pasted - I did not MAKE UP these historical accounts. You give me too much credit and blame, same as to Brown.
Caution: reading and researching on your own prerequisite: the ability to handle the truth and use your own mind.
Myself, I prefer to rely on what JESUS said over the many differing extrapolations of man since. starting with Paul - who never met or was taught with the Apostles...and who was at odds with Peter and the original 12 on many points - who preached his own gospel, etc. He and Peter were at loggerheads...why is that?
Thanks - I was beginning to think I was the only one 'out here' who actually researched anything.
I am an artist, and so have been researching these areas for decades (I'm a ole great-granny, so that covers a lot of 'decades' ;o) ) - there were NO surprises in Brown's book to me. He is being credited and vilified for ideas that have been in the public domain for centuries...he just spun them into a great novel - and it caught attention, unlike the many - even contemporary - publications on these themes...I hope not too many who hide safely in a spoon fed cocoon read any of them. They would find them hard to handle and reconcile to history
Please present indisputable factual evidence why I should believe some 20th Century anti-Catholic bigot that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children and was not the Son of God, and that Mary Magdalene is a Goddess, and that the apostolic college were charlatans who covered all this up, and that Paul and the Evangelists invented an entire religion based on this charlatan non-divine Jesus, and that they penned a false history in the New Testament, and that Paul's and the Evangelists proximity in time and space to the events of the Gospel and the oral tradition of the apostolic generation are completely irrelevant to the historical truth of the New Testament, and that therefore 20th Century anti-Christians are more to be relied on to state the facts of Jesus' life, and that the Priory of Sion was not 20th century hoax, and that it ws not Renaissance artistic convention to portray St. John the Apostle as a callow and beardless and, yes, effiminate youth ...
We all have a free will to see whatever movie we like. However, my point was that Hollywood in general is very anti-God. Why support this movie or any movie that may further doubts about your faith? The more money this movie makes, the more incentive some other nut/director will have to make something more degrading about any religion or subject matter, fiction or not. Where do we draw the line? As consumers we have the power to tell Hollywood and Ron Howard to take a flying leap!
Parts of it are true but those parts are very few and not at all difficult to discern from the fiction. The book is 99.9 percent fiction (ALL fiction has some grains of truth).
And I know I'm not in any danger whatsoever of having a fictional movie sow doubts about my faith.
Why bother trying to explain that to RKV?
Liberal atheists like him always have to go back several centuries to back their claims, the buggery notwithstanding. These people have an axe to gring (guilt) and they're going to grind it no matter what.
Anybody else listen to The Jesus Christ Show last Sunday?
It was amazing the way Jesus blew the DaVinci Code to smithereens !!!
http://www.kfi640.com/pages/streaming.html at 8 to 11 AMCT
Why is this being turned into an "anti-Catholic" film?
Yes, it's fiction, BUT the premise upon which this fiction is built (as the earlier poster said, the backstory) is not anti-Catholic, it's anti-Christian.
It's bothering me that this is turning into a Catholic-vs-Code issue and not a Christian-vs-Code issue. Protestants and Evangelicals should be just as opposed to the premise of the fictional work as Catholics, and the fact that there seems to be a lot of evangelical/protestant sniffing about "the bad Catholic Church" just tells me that Satan is laughing as Christians divide.
(And if anyone now wants to float the "Catholics aren't Christians theory, please put a sock in it).
Both Howard and Hanks have been deminished in my opinion by this project. At one time I enjoyed the work of each, now I have better things to do.
LOL
take a DEEEEp breath. That is one of the longest sentences, filled with foam that I have read in some time. Can't quite ascertain if you are referring to Brown or my in your "why I should believe some 20th Century anti-Catholic bigot
not that it matters...
What I can ascertain is that your mind is made up and facts therefore wont bother you...so I shant waste my time.
If, on the far chance, you were interested in the truth, you obviously have a PC and access to the Internet - and GOOGLE is your friend. Have a go at some research.
The story about the relationship (marriage) of Jesus and MM.........hardly Brown's idea. It's been told about, written about, believed, for centuries - and there are MANY contemporary books in print now, written before Brown, that deal with the same thing - NON-fiction, even. That's for one -
Rather amusing they aren't being attacked and vilified. LOL
your personal attack - you wrote:
"You need to get on some good anti-pyschotic medication if you truly believe this stuff (and apparently you do)."
sounds like you may need to take your own advice...you sound really up tight. The truth can be discussed without such ire...
1. The Da Vinci Code is a summer beach book/ thriller meant to be read as entertainment, not as social commentary or a vicious/ direct attack on anyone.
2. The Catholic Church isn't even the villan in the book; the Professor is. Opus Dei does come off as incredibly shady and creepy, but I know lots of MS Catholics who are incredibly creeped out by Opus Dei.
3. Christians in the West have been able to openly practice their religion for millenia, while a little over sixty years ago Jews in Western Europe were being exterminated. I believe that the Jews have more of a right to be wary of pop culture than Christians do.
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