China's Catholic church on Thursday pledged to rally a mass
boycott of the controversial movie, The Da Vinci Code,
which opens in cinemas across China today. Church leaders have
accused makers of the Hollywood thriller of violating religious
ethics and morals and insulting the feelings of clergy and
followers.
Ron Howard's adaptation of Dan Brown's bestseller, starring Tom
Hanks, has enraged religious groups worldwide because of its
suggestion that Jesus married and fathered children, and that
elements within the Catholic Church resorted to murder to hide the
truth.?
"The movie has many details that go against Catholic teachings
and are even insulting," said Liu Bainian, vice-president of the
China Patriotic Catholic Association, in an interview with Xinhua
on Thursday.
"The association and the Bishops Conference of the Chinese
Catholic Church are considering releasing a notice advising all
believers not to watch it," he said.
Describing the movie as a "test" of the faith of Catholics, Liu
said: "Catholics should consolidate their belief, abide by the
instruction of the church and not be affected by fictional
things."
Liu advises Catholics to pray more to cement their beliefs, ease
tempers and grow more faithful to God's teachings.
He also urged all Catholics to help those misguided by the movie
by spreading the tenets and true spirit of the Catholic Church.
The movie premiered in Beijing on Wednesday night, beating the
official Cannes Film Festival debut by a mere four hours.
The Jinde Weekly, sponsored by the China Patriotic
Catholic Association's branch in north China's Hebei Province, published a letter on its
website calling for a boycott of the movie by all Catholics.
"On Thursday, the movie will be released globally," the letter
warned.
"Because the movie and the novel it is based on have greatly
offended the Christian faith, we hereby call for all netizens,
priests and followers to resist them."
According to Zhang Shijiang, editor-in-chief of Jinde,
the movie goes undoubtedly against religious ethics. "It treats our
religion in an unscientific way in total disregard of the feelings
of the faithful.
"Many people are concerned about this. The contents of the movie
insult and distort our sacred faith. Such a fictional and
misguiding thing should not be allowed the chance to hurt the
followers' feelings.
Jinde, he said, has published a series of articles that
reveal the reaction of Catholics overseas.
"We also plan to launch a petition to the government through
normal channels," he said.
"The movie is dangerous because it wears an overcoat of
'science' and cites confusing supporting material that mix the
truth with lies and blurs the line between right and wrong.
Not everyone, however, agrees that the movie is harmful.
"There is no doubt that the movie is fiction and nobody would
take it as a reflection of the truth," said Li Ling, a Beijing
woman who saw the movie on Wednesday evening.
"But the holiness of the God could be weakened," she
added.?
The reactions that the movie has given rise to in China are
relatively tame compared with the furore it has raised in other
parts of the world. Debates are limited and Catholics are a small
minority.
Government officials who monitor religious affairs have not
spoken out against the film, and the film was approved for general
release without cuts on March 27.?
"I think it's going to be less controversial in China because
obviously religion doesn't have much influence in China as it does
elsewhere," said Wang Ran, chief executive of China Capital Corp, a
Beijing media consulting firm.
With a stellar cast and a controversial plot, the movie is
expected to be a massive hit both because of the novel's worldwide
sales record of over 40 million copies and protests from the
Christian world.
Xu Bing, a spokesman with the China Film Group Corporation, the
movie's Chinese distributor, estimated that the movie is likely to
reap over 60 million yuan (US$7.5 million).
The movie will be screened in big cities across the country with
over 380 copies in more than 30 cinema chains.?
?
(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily May 19, 2006)