da Vinci

Father Bob Bedard, CC


Profanity is the casual and inappropriate use of the Lord’s Holy Name. Blasphemy is contempt for or abuse of God or sacred things.

The “da Vinci Code” is blasphemous. Though the author says it is fiction, he also says in many ways that the facts (which ones?) contained in the ‘novel’ are true.

But, in any case, the story involves Jesus conspiring with a band of followers to fake his death on the Cross and to co-operate with a tissue of lies that traces a story of His subsequent activities. These include a marriage with Mary Magdalen and children from their union. This is obviously blasphemous.

Included in the story is the Catholic Church as a conniving institution, concerned only about its status and influence. If not actually blasphemous, this is at least grossly insulting.

Unfortunately, people love stories and reports that paint the Catholic Church as evil. The Church has taken seriously its mandate from the Lord Himself to proclaim the truth to all nations and generations. And the truth, as we know, hurts. Those who feel hurt fight back. The Church consistently speaks the truth about everything it knows, including life and sexual morality. This puts it in direct mortal combat with powerful world forces and conspiracies.

An important part of the world powers’ strategy is to support anything or anybody who attempts to damage the Church’s reputation. It doesn’t help that we, in our weakness, play into their hands when some of our members succumb to their sinful inclinations.

The da Vinci Code paints the Church in the most unflattering of colours. Only those who already hate it and those who are gullible will accept the book as based on truth. The rest of us see it as it is: libel, plain and simple.

It is a truism by now that the only acceptable prejudice remaining in our society today is being anti-Catholic.

Isn’t it amazing how careful people are to create a distance between themselves and material that is anti-Islam? The recent world-wide furore over some cartoons originally published in Denmark referring to Mohammed, Islam’s founder, in less than positive ways, is a case in point. But if the Catholic Church can be bombed, side-swiped, blind-sided, libelled, or trashed, it is fair game.

Father Lindsay Harrison of St. Patrick’s Basilica in Ottawa has written a sensible and insightful piece on the da Vinci Code for St. Joseph’s Workers for Life and Family. If you were to contact this ministry at 613.742.7012 or info@sjw.ca, I’m sure you could obtain a copy.