Posted on 05/19/2006 9:24:58 AM PDT by Ebenezer
MOVIEGOERS in Manila may have to go to neighboring cities to watch “The Da Vinci Code” after the city council yesterday passed a resolution prohibiting the showing of the controversial movie.
The resolution said the movie, which was based on US author Dan Brown’s explosive novel, “is undoubtedly offensive and contrary to established religious beliefs which cannot take precedence over the right of the persons involved in the film to freedom of expression.”
The resolution, which was passed just hours before cinemas in Manila and other parts of the metropolis began showing the movie, cited a provision in the Revised Penal Code that made it “a crime to exhibit films which offend a religion.”
Councilor Rolando Valeriano, one of the authors of the resolution, said the ban would take effect today after theater owners in Manila shall have been furnished copies of the measure.
The film’s premise that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and fathered children whose descendants have survived to the present day has sparked accusations of blasphemy not only from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) but also from other Christian groups across the globe.
Earlier this week, however, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) allowed the film to be shown but gave it an R-18 rating, meaning it is restricted to adults.
According to Valeriano, cinema owners in Manila who defy the ban face a one-year jail term and a P5,000 fine. Those caught selling pirated DVDs or VCDs of the movie could be jailed for up to six months and fined P3,000, he added.
City’s sentiment
“This is the sentiment of the city of Manila,” said Councilor Benjamin Asilo, a co-author of the resolution.
“The film made erroneous and unsubstantiated claims against the fundamental doctrines of Christianity,” Asilo said, adding that the people behind the movie “should not be allowed to enrich themselves at the expense of desecrating our religious institutions and impairing our relationship with our God.”
Councilor Maria Asuncion Fugoso (District 3), one of those who approved the resolution, said she was withholding judgment on the film.
“It’s not for me to judge, I know it’s just fiction, but why use the name of Christ?” Fugoso said.
Councilor Cita Astals opposed the resolution, saying that she was for freedom of expression. She described Brown’s book as “excellent” so that “once you start reading it, you’ll not put it down.”
“If your faith is strong, any movie that depicts Jesus as Satan will not affect you. But if your faith is weak, any movie will not save you,” Astals added.
Councilor Lourdes Isip-Garcia, who also opposed the ban, said the movie “is fiction, just for entertainment.”
Not a sin
Fr. James Reuter, director of the Catholic Church’s National Office of the Mass Media, said it wasn’t a sin to see the movie.
“Rome, in general, has condemned it ... (But) the Holy Father has not made it a sin if you watch it,” Reuter told the Inquirer on Tuesday.
In France, director Ron Howard had a suggestion for people riled by the way Christian history was depicted in the movie: If you think the movie will upset you, don’t go see it.
“There’s no question that the film is likely to be upsetting to some people,” Howard told reporters at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday. “My advice, since virtually no one has really seen the movie yet, is to not go see the movie if you think you’re going to be upset. Wait. Talk to somebody who has seen it. Discuss it. And then arrive at an opinion about the movie itself.”
“Again: This is supposed to be entertainment, it’s not theology,” he said.
The movie suggests that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and fathered a child. One reporter asked the cast if they believed Christ was married.
Star Tom Hanks quipped, “Well, I wasn’t around.” With reports from Nikko Dizon and Associated Press
I realize that Vatican II has nothing to do with what Dan Brown espouses. But I've heard some Catholics condemn it and I've never understood why. Thanks for the info.
And to think "Opie Taylor" ended up dabbling in heresy himself.
You're welcome. My argument is that, if Catholics (especially those raised after Vatican II) were thoroughly knowledgeable of the Church's teachings, this perverse fascination with the wild stories in "The Da Vinci Code" would not be an issue. Even non-Catholic Christians and Muslims (who revere Jesus as a prophet) have also taken offense at the book and film.
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