By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press Writer
ROME (AP) -- The conservative Roman Catholic group Opus Dei said
Tuesday it had no intention of calling for a boycott of the
upcoming film "The Da Vinci Code," but said it hopes the
much-awaited film could still be changed so that "there aren't
references that would hurt Catholics."
In a statement released in Rome, Opus Dei said Sony Pictures still
had time to make changes that would be appreciated by Catholics,
"particularly in these days in which everyone has noted the painful
consequences of intolerance" - an apparent reference to violence in
the Muslim world sparked by the publication of caricatures of the
Prophet Muhammad.
The film, starring Tom Hanks and scheduled for a May 19 release, is
based on the best-selling Dan Brown novel, which portrayed Opus Dei
as a murderous, power-hungry sect. The novel contends that Jesus
married Mary Magdalene and had descendants, and that Opus Dei and
the Catholic Church were at the center of covering it up.
The low-profile spiritual group has embarked on something of a
public-relations campaign to improve its image before release of
the film. It says it isn't calling for a boycott because it prefers
to follow a more "constructive" path.
"'The Da Vinci Code' offers a deformed image of the Catholic
Church," Tuesday's statement said, adding that the statement was
issued because the organization had received many questions about
the upcoming film.
Sony reiterated its view that "The Da Vinci Code" is a work of
fiction.
The work is "not a religious tract, and it is certainly not meant
to criticize any group, religious or otherwise," Jim Kennedy, a
spokesman for Sony Pictures Entertainment, commented via
e-mail.
