Ever since its publication in March 2003, Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code has been a magnet for controversy. It’s not surprising, then, that the adaptation of this book into a film has drawn an equal amount of debate. Sure enough, a group of protesters, led by Sister Mary Michael, a Roman Catholic nun, were on hand yesterday as the film’s star, Tom Hanks, arrived at the Lincoln Cathedral in England to being filming.
Sister Mary Michael, 61, says that the film contains heresy, and believes that it is her duty to speak up. She told reporters, 'When I face Almighty God, at my final judgment, as we all will, I can say, I did try my best, I did try my best to protest.'
The nun, who is attached to Our Lady’s Community of Peace and Mercy in Lincoln, is particularly peeved that the Lincoln Cathedral, which is being used as a stand-in for Westminster Abbey, will benefit from the filming. According to reports, the cathedral received a sizable donation for allowing the crew to work onsite, despite the fact that the cathedral's Dean, The Very Reverend Alec Knight, has called the book “a load of old tosh.”
'The church should not be accepting money for something that is not a true story,' Sister Mary said. 'They should be praying more, and then the money would come in. To a believer, any believer, what is happening is blasphemous.'
While Sister Mary has not read the entire book, she says that the basic premise – the Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, and that they had a child together – is base on heresy. 'It is an old error, derived from the mystery faiths of the east. It is not a new story,' she stated.
Hanks, who is only scheduled to be on the set for two days, waved to fans on his arrival yesterday, and had no comment about the protest.
