Catholic groups urge director to include disclaimer in Da Vinci film

Los Angeles, Calif., Mar 9, 2006 / 22:00 pm

Two Catholic organizations are urging director Ron Howard to include a disclaimer at the beginning of his soon-to-be-released film, based on Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

The Catholic League and Da Vinci Outreach, a national coalition organized to expose the lies about the Catholic faith and Church in The Da Vinci Code, want Howard to clearly state that the film is a work of fiction. The film’s release date is May 19.

This week, the Catholic League ran an ad in the New York Times, addressed to Howard. "As the director, you have a moral obligation not to mislead the public the way the book's author, Dan Brown, has,” read the ad, written by Catholic League president Bill Donohue. “Putting a disclaimer at the beginning of the film noting that this is a fictional account would resolve the issue."

"When there are references that could be confusing for moviegoers the customary way to deal with the confusion and eliminate offense is to clearly state that the people and events depicted are fictional," said Matthew Pinto, a member of Da Vinci Outreach and president of Ascension Press.

Da Vinci Outreach offers resources to help viewers navigate between fact and fiction in The Da Vinci Code.

For more information, go to www.DaVinciOutreach.com.