Scholars braced for release of Da Vinci Code film

Catholic scholars gathered in Rome today to explore whether the soon-to-be-released film version of The Da Vinci Code will help spread hostile sentiment against the church or provide an opportunity to draw people closer to religion.

Scholars including members of Opus Dei – the conservative religious order depicted as a murderous, power-hungry sect in the best-selling Dan Brown novel - were participating at the forum on the potential effects of the movie, set for release on May 17-19 around the world.

“The movie will reach more people, so in that sense it will be a bit of a step forward for the book’s ideas,” said the Rev. John Wauck, a professor at Opus Dei’s University of Santa Croce in Rome.

Brown’s novel, with 46 million copies in print, contends that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had descendants, and puts the Catholic Church and Opus Dei at the centre of a conspiracy to cover up the alleged secret.

The book also targets Opus Dei for its purported political and economic power as well is its use of “corporal mortification,” the voluntary punishing of one’s body as spiritual discipline.

Several high-ranking prelates are members of Opus Dei, an order which was particularly favoured by the late Pope John Paul II.

“As a book, The Da Vinci Code doesn’t merit serious attention,” Wauck said before the conference.

“However, as a phenomenon it demands serious attention, because a book that sells 40 million copies is not just a book, it tells us something about our society and the world we live in,” Wauck said.

The novel’s success is a sign that there is “tremendous religious ignorance” but that readers also have a thirst for history, art, symbolism and a more spiritual life, Wauck said, indicating that the movie might draw some people closer to Catholicism.

“If you find what you see there attractive you will probably enjoy a Catholic Mass,” he said. “I’ve seen people who have come back to their faith after reading The Da Vinci Code.”

Opus Dei has refrained from calling for a boycott of the movie, but is among those asking Sony to issue a disclaimer with the film that would clarify that it is a work of fantasy.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has declined to reveal whether the film would bear a disclaimer but has said the work is not a religious one and is not meant to criticise any group.