China's Catholic church on Thursday pledged to rally a mass boycott of the controversial movie, The Da Vinci Code, which opens in cinemas across China today. Church leaders have accused makers of the Hollywood thriller of violating religious ethics and morals and insulting the feelings of clergy and followers.

Ron Howard's adaptation of Dan Brown's bestseller, starring Tom Hanks, has enraged religious groups worldwide because of its suggestion that Jesus married and fathered children, and that elements within the Catholic Church resorted to murder to hide the truth. 

"The movie has many details that go against Catholic teachings and are even insulting," said Liu Bainian, vice-president of the China Patriotic Catholic Association, in an interview with Xinhua on Thursday.

"The association and the Bishops Conference of the Chinese Catholic Church are considering releasing a notice advising all believers not to watch it," he said.

Describing the movie as a "test" of the faith of Catholics, Liu said: "Catholics should consolidate their belief, abide by the instruction of the church and not be affected by fictional things."

Liu advises Catholics to pray more to cement their beliefs, ease tempers and grow more faithful to God's teachings.

He also urged all Catholics to help those misguided by the movie by spreading the tenets and true spirit of the Catholic Church.

The movie premiered in Beijing on Wednesday night, beating the official Cannes Film Festival debut by a mere four hours.

The Jinde Weekly, sponsored by the China Patriotic Catholic Association's branch in north China's Hebei Province, published a letter on its website calling for a boycott of the movie by all Catholics.

"On Thursday, the movie will be released globally," the letter warned.

"Because the movie and the novel it is based on have greatly offended the Christian faith, we hereby call for all netizens, priests and followers to resist them."

According to Zhang Shijiang, editor-in-chief of Jinde, the movie goes undoubtedly against religious ethics. "It treats our religion in an unscientific way in total disregard of the feelings of the faithful.

"Many people are concerned about this. The contents of the movie insult and distort our sacred faith. Such a fictional and misguiding thing should not be allowed the chance to hurt the followers' feelings.

Jinde, he said, has published a series of articles that reveal the reaction of Catholics overseas.

"We also plan to launch a petition to the government through normal channels," he said.

"The movie is dangerous because it wears an overcoat of 'science' and cites confusing supporting material that mix the truth with lies and blurs the line between right and wrong.

Not everyone, however, agrees that the movie is harmful.

"There is no doubt that the movie is fiction and nobody would take it as a reflection of the truth," said Li Ling, a Beijing woman who saw the movie on Wednesday evening.

"But the holiness of the God could be weakened," she added. 

The reactions that the movie has given rise to in China are relatively tame compared with the furore it has raised in other parts of the world. Debates are limited and Catholics are a small minority.

Government officials who monitor religious affairs have not spoken out against the film, and the film was approved for general release without cuts on March 27. 

"I think it's going to be less controversial in China because obviously religion doesn't have much influence in China as it does elsewhere," said Wang Ran, chief executive of China Capital Corp, a Beijing media consulting firm.

With a stellar cast and a controversial plot, the movie is expected to be a massive hit both because of the novel's worldwide sales record of over 40 million copies and protests from the Christian world.

Xu Bing, a spokesman with the China Film Group Corporation, the movie's Chinese distributor, estimated that the movie is likely to reap over 60 million yuan (US$7.5 million).

The movie will be screened in big cities across the country with over 380 copies in more than 30 cinema chains. 
 
(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily May 19, 2006)