The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Archbishop condemns `The Da Vinci Code'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Archbishop condemns `The Da Vinci Code'

Staff Reporter

Widespread resentment among Christians

A poster of the movie `The Da Vinci Code'. - Photo: AP

HYDERABAD: The widespread resentment among the Christian community over the controversial Tom Hanks starrer `The Da Vinci Code' is finding its echo in the twin cities as well.

Hours after the Centre announced on Tuesday a temporary ban on the May 19 release of the movie in India, saying it would view the movie with Christian leaders before reaching a decision, the Archbishop of Hyderabad Rev. Marampudi Joji said his community unanimously condemned the movie and the move to screen it in the country.

Rev. Joji who returned from London a couple of days back after meeting representatives of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales as part of a delegation of Indian Church leaders to discuss various issues, told The Hindu here on Tuesday that the Bishops' Conference across the world was condemning the film.

`Anti-Church'

"With the film totally anti-Church and with so many distortions in the script, the condemnation is universal.

I, as the local Archbishop and Metropolitan of Andhra Pradesh, join the protest," he said.

In spite of the controversy raging over the movie and its release, advertisements had already begun appearing in the local media.

One such ad on Sunday, though it was not mentioned which theatre would be screening the movie, termed the flick as "the most awaited film of the year, releasing shortly in your favourite theatres".

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail