| Cardinal Urges: Don't Read Davinci Code |
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Genoa, Mar. 15, 2005 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone of Genoa has urged Italian readers not to buy The DaVinci Code , the best-selling novel by American author Dan Brown. "My appeal is as follows: Don't read it and don't buy The DaVinci Code, the Italian prelate told a Vatican Radio audience on March 15. The cardinal made his radio appearance on the eve of a seminar organized by the Genoa archdiocese about the book. Among others, Massimmo Introvigne-- the founder and director of the Center for Studies of New Religions-- will speak at the seminar "to expose the lies on which this novel is based." Cardinal Bertone said that he sees the spectacular worldwide success of The DaVinci Code as part of a strategy to build "a castle of lies" in order to counteract the success of the Jubilee Year 2000. The fruits of the Jubilee, he said, had "an impact that was exceptional in the entire history of mankind." And now opponents of the faith are using making their response, he said. The cardinal voiced regret that even some Catholic libraries and schools have succumbed to an "absolutely extraordinary" marketing campaign and purchased Brown's novel, which is based on a series of gross inaccuracies about Christian belief, history, and practice. Cardinal Bertone noted that the publishers are seeking to convey the notion that "you aren't an adult Christian unless you have read this book." Among the "multiple errors" in Brown's book, Cardinal Bertone cited the "obliteration" of the feminine influence in the Bible; he observed that "the group of women in the history of the New Testament and in the Gospels have a visibility almost equal to the apostles." The cardinal then mentioned the "negation of the death and resurrection of Jesus," which are established historical facts. The Italian prelate questioned whether society would tolerate the publication of a book that spread similar mistruths about Buddha, Mohammed, or another religious leader. He also asked about the likely public reaction to "a novel that manipulated the entire history of the Holocaust and the Shoah." The DaVinci Code has gained public acceptance only because of "a great anti-Catholic prejudice," he concluded. The DaVinci Code has been translated into 42 different languages, and 25 million copies have been sold worldwide. The plot entails a bizarre story in which Jesus married Mary Magdalene, and their ancestors survive in France to this day. This preposterous secret, in Brown's book, is guarded by a secret society which resists all attempts at disclosure. (The book draws its name from the author's claim that Leonardo da Vinci was a member of this society, and left clues to its secrets in some of his paintings.) |
