Opus Dei: 'Some good may come from film'

The head of Opus Dei, the conservative Catholic organisation depicted in The Da Vinci Code as a murderous, power-hungry sect, says some good might come out of the work, according to an interview published today.

The film version of Dan Brown’s best-selling novel debuts in France on May 17, which happens to be the 14h anniversary of the day the late Pope John Paul II raised to sainthood, Opus Dei’s founder, Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer.

The current head, Monsignor Javier Echevarria, contended that Opus Dei came under attack because of the organisation’s “attachment to the pope, our loyalty to the Church, our rigor for the orthodoxy of faith.”

He was interviewed by Vittorio Messori, who co-authored John Paul’s best-selling book Crossing the Threshold of Hope.

Messori wrote that Opus Dei’s website has seen a jump in hits, and that the group “has taken advantage of a good opportunity” from negative image the book gives of it.

Although a Vatican official has called for a boycott of the movie, Opus Dei has decided against such a tactic, which could possibly backfire for the Church by drawing more attention to the film.