The Da Vinci Code premiers to criticism in Poland

Radio Polonia ^ | 19.05.06 | Agnieszka Bielawska

[lizol]

The Da Vinci Code premiers to criticism in Poland

The Da Vinci Code the film by Ron Howard after the controversial book by Dan Brown, premiers today in Poland. Both the book and the film have been strongly criticized by the Catholic Church in Poland with archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz calling to boycott the film for its blasphemous presentation of Christianity.

Report by Agnieszka Bielawska

19.05.06

The da Vinci Code premiered in Cannes , but contrary to expectations has been negatively reviewed by critics. What will be the reaction of the public remains to be seen, the film was long awaited after the spectacular success of the novel.

The Da Vinci Code has attracted unusual attention thanks to the religious controversy surrounding Dan Brown’s bestseller. In Poland , which is a predominantly catholic country, the book and the film evoke mixed emotions.

The book suggests that Jesus married Maria Magdalena, had a child by her , who began the French dynasty of Merrowings and that the Church resorted to murder . This prompted objections from Christian groups and the Vatican. The Polish catholic church has presented its strong criticism accusing the Da Vinci Code of manipulation and falsifying historical facts. According to father Krzysztof Niedlatowski who conducts research on the iconography of the Last Supper the Code is just a very cleverly constructed fiction which achieved success thanks to basing on the sensational history of the Catholic Church which to many even believers remains in fact unknown

” Starting from Jesus and his relations with women, it already sounds interesting. And why not that there is someone, somewhere who really knows about it- this could be some sensational truth revealed.”

Father Niedaltowski says that treating the da Vinci Code as a chronicle of the Church can be a dangerous thing especially for those whose knowledge of Christianity and the catholic Church is scarce . At the same time however he said , it may be an inspiration to search for knowledge and truth. A similar opinion is shared by the head of the Polish episcopate archbishop Jozef Michalik , who criticizes the book says the Episcopate spokesman father Joszef Kloch

”For many people it is the first contact with Christianity which is presented in a distorted way .The author is unjust and falsifies the historic and theological truth. from the ethical point of view it is unacceptable and immoral .But at the same time archbishop Michalik underlined that the book may inspire to search for truth, to dig for sources and deepen knowledge , thus deepening faith.”

The Polish Catholic church says the book, and the film base on many apocryphal writings which have been gathered over the centuries speculating on Jesus and his teachings. The Archbishop of Krakow Stanislaw Dziwisz , has called to boycott the film, but as analyst Adam Szostkiewicz says there is no need for such harsh steps. People who believe cannot not be turned from their faith by fiction.

“Boycott is exactly what the people of The Da Vinci Code want: free advertisement, so the more voices like this the more people will come to the cinema.“

[sportutegrl]

I haven't read the book, so probably shouldn't comment. I was trying to make fun of the people that believed that nonsense by saying it was like believing in National Treasure. I guess I had only caught part of an interview on TV, because that was all I remembered, was the author saying it was a work of fiction.

[Miss Marple]

Yes, it is fiction. You misunderstood the point of my comment. Americans are so uneducated about history, and even more so about church history, that a lot of them are being duped into believing that the historical "facts" in this book are true. The reviewer on Fox was one such example.

I do not advocate censorship, and boycotts are counterproductive in this case, but I do believe that the Catholic Church and all churches have a duty to speak about about the errors in this book and movie.

Of particular concern are the unchurched, who may be led through ignorance to believe that Christianity is one big con job, and never give it a look. For those of us who believe in the redemption and salvation of Christianity, it is distressing to think that there are souls who will ignore the Gospel because of this fraud.

[D-fendr]

Got it. The author is playing quite loose with the truth. He claims a lot of it is true. In one interview he was asked what he'd change if he wrote it as non-fiction and he said, "Nothing." At other interviews he'll claim fiction, but based on accurate research..

He seems to believe the underlying point is true - the diety of Christ is based on fraud, the Church repressed the female goddess religion, etc.

And in the beginning of the book he has a fact page, with a couple of whoppers:

Fact:
The Priory of Sion—a European secret society founded in 1099—is a real organization. In 1975, Paris's Bibliothèque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci. [this is an admitted fraud]
All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.[Hornswaggle]

Thanks for your reply.