Cardinal
Hints at Legal Action Against 'Da Vinci Code'
Denouncing
"The Da Vinci Code," a Roman Catholic cardinal who was
considered a contender for pope last year made an apparent reference
to violent Muslim protests to cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad,
Reuters reported. Suggesting legal action against the best-selling
Dan Brown novel and the forthcoming movie, Cardinal Francis Arinze,
a Nigerian, demanded "that we should be respected, our religious
beliefs respected, and our founder Jesus Christ respected."
Without elaborating on the legal means he had in mind, he said:
"Those who blaspheme Christ and get away with it are exploiting
the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who
insult us. There are some other religions which, if you insult
their founder, they will not be just talking. They will make it
painfully clear to you." The cardinal, who for 18 years headed
the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, which directed
papal efforts to reach out to other religions, said, "So
it is not I who will tell all Christians what to do, but some
know legal means which can be taken in order to get the other
person to respect the rights of others." He made his remarks
in a documentary film, "The Da Vinci Code — A Masterful
Deception." Made by Mario Biasetti for Rome Reports, a Catholic
agency specializing in religious subjects, the documentary is
to be shown in Rome just before "The Da Vinci Code,"
starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, has its premiere on May
17 at the 59th Cannes Film Festival. The book that was adapted
for the film uses as its premise that Jesus married Mary Magdalene,
that they had children and that their descendants survive.
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