Church fights Da Vinci Code novel

The Romans have weighed in and blessed the (damned entertaining) novel as a work of fiction. Gee, I don’t think that’ll come as any surprise to the millions of people who read it. Now if they really wanted to make news, they’d recognize that other widely read fictional work as fiction… “The Holy Bible”.

The Roman Catholic Church in Italy has spoken out against what it says are “shameful and unfounded lies” in the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Archbishop of Genoa, broke the church’s official silence on the controversial book.

Its story about the Church suppressing the “truth” that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene has convinced many fans.

But the cardinal’s spokesman denied reports that the clergyman was asked by the Vatican to hit back at the book.

Carlo Arcolao told the BBC’s News website that it had been the cardinal’s own decision to make a public statement about the book.
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(author Dan}Brown has previously said: “All of the art, architecture, secret rituals, secret societies, all of that is historical fact.”

Note, he cleverly does not say the story is true, just that it was drawn from historical fact.