Vatican Urges Code Lawsuits, Witches, Handfasting, West Memphis Three: The Movie
Monday May 8, 2006
The closer the big day gets, the more nervous the Vatican gets. Jordan wants to ban the movie, for harming "Christian and Muslim religious symbols." Cardinal Francis Arinze doesn't want Christians to boycott the Code, he wants them to sue it, claiming it insults Jesus. (One would think the Almighty couldn't take care of himself?) Unfortunately for the Vatican, it would appear nobody's listening- the movie has already sold out more than a week before its release date in three predominately Catholic countries -Italy, Spain and Mexico. There are apparently limits to how the Church wants to protest the movies, as this strange story attests. Oh, and Opus Dei has gotten into the "Code refutation" business, with their own website of gripes and accusations.
A Vatican astronomer lashes out at creationism, calling it a 'destructive myth' and 'paganism.' I find that a bit odd, given that I've met a number of Catholic creationists, but never a Pagan one. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough?
Another interesting Vatican-related article looks at some of the folks expelled from the Church over the years.
Some interesting Pagan profiles today, including a handfasting at Avebury.
A couple of reporters go visiting witch doctors and psychics in Morocco.
Survivors of Witch hunts in Jharkand hope toi raise awareness of the torture and killing of hundreds of women in the region accused of witchcraft.
A deal has recently been signed to bring the story of the West Memphis Three to the big screen.
Comments
I’ve been discussing the forthcoming movie with my colleague Robert L. I’m really looking forward to it after reading the book. It’ll be interesting to see the reaction of the Catholic Church (namely the Vatican) when they see it. Oh, but they won’t see it will they because they’ve told everybody to boycott it. I suppose they might wait for the DVD to come out and watch it on a laptop in a secret location, maybe the Vatican observatory? It’s interesting that they should try to ban people from reading a fictional novel when they’ve spent the last 2000 years pushing their own ‘good book’ down everybody’s throats.
In my humble opinion (as an observer of course) it seems that they are quite rattled. Is it that they have read a threat to their comfortable existence between the lines?
Anyway, Vatican aside the book is a very good read and illuminating if you know what I mean (it reminds me of a paper I once wrote about a Valley in the US, turned out to be a fearfully good read, but I have seen it modified in some reference libraries, must be in the translation). Some of the highlights ‘oldies’ like me appreciate in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ are the white queens favourite image being the ‘Vitruvian man’ and the extremely humourous reference to ‘the papal bull’. Even my good friend and his brother had a chuckle at that one! Some of Sauniere’s anagrams were outstanding, especially ’so dark the con of man’. Anyone would think that the painting had been renamed to provide such an apt anangram. The character Bishop Aringarosa possibly was envisaged to have a greater role when the plot was originally hatched. For some reason, he reminds of the ‘Black Death’; something not to be sneezed at!
I will concur with the opinion that the pyramid looks a little out of place in front of the louvre, but then again it is transparent, so I suppose you can see straight through it. Maybe thats what that ingeneous devil I.M. Pei had in mind when he applied his mastery of his craft to the task.
Rosslyn chapel should do well out of the book, although it makes it clear that the grail is not actually there. Maybe all the grail hunters will now go to the Louvre and start digging beneath the upturned pyramid………. sorry, it went dark for a short while. Hurrah, that’s better I can see clearly again, you’ll have to take account of my age. This new technology provides so much information so quickly. Back to the point in hand, though, it seems that symbols of ancient egypt are popping up every where - the ‘original and best’ I suppose!!!
I’m wondering if ‘major’ advertisers are going to take advantage of the potential size of the viewing audience and ‘insert’ a few subliminal messages into the script. Sony are Japanese of course and they might try to get the ‘red circle’ of their flag into it somewhere. Who knows?
And now, I must return to my tasks as she is home for supper and I’ve candles to light.
PS. It’s nice to see the ladies on top again! I wasn’t aware that Mick Jagger had been knighted, maybe it was for the ‘Goats head soup’ recording he and his fellow ‘band’ the Rolling Stones made back in 1973. I guess Dan Brown must be a supporter of the band.