Govt says let church decide whether the country can watch Da Vinci Code

If the three Services chiefs were asked to watch Rang de Basanti and okay its release, the Government has now asked the Catholic Church to decide whether The Da Vinci Code, the Ron Howard-directed film on the Dan Brown bestseller, should be released in India.

If the three Services chiefs were asked to watch Rang de Basanti and okay its release, the Government has now asked the Catholic Church to decide whether The Da Vinci Code, the Ron Howard-directed film on the Dan Brown bestseller, should be released in India. The film’s global release is scheduled this Friday.

Though the Vatican has dismissed the film as a work of fiction, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi today said he had asked the Censor Board to consult and coordinate with Catholic Church organisations before issuing a certificate.

The film is likely to be screened for Catholic organisations tomorrow. “I will not allow it to be screened unless representatives of Catholic churches and Censor Board watch the movie and clear it. And if anything in the film affects their sensibilities, we will not allow the movie to be screened,” Dasmunsi said.

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“Even I’ll watch the film myself in the next 24 hours. I cannot ignore an appeal from a section of the people when there can be merit in what they are saying,” he said.

Vatican says it’s fiction but here church chorus is: Do not screen

• PSP Raju, Bishop, Kolkata Diocese of Church of North India: Wilfully hurts sentiments of millions of Christians

• Catholic Bishops Conference of India: False, irreverent portrayal of Jesus Christ which alters the very root of Christian faith

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• Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi: It’s the product of a perverted mind and the height of moral corruption

• Major Archbishop and Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil of Syro Malabar Church: Has degraded sentiments of millions of Christians

• Filipe Neri Ferrao, Archbishop of Goa and Daman: Harmful, blasphemous entertainment

• Cardinal Ivan Dias, Archbishop of Mumbai: Seek forgiveness for offenders.

— Jayanth Jacob

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