Da Vinci Code Debunked

I've mentioned before how I think Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" is complete rubbish. Here's the Catholic Church's take on it:

Da Vinci Code novel a mess, US bishops say

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Los Angeles

US Catholic bishops have launched a stinging counter-attack on the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code, ahead of the release of Ron Howard's film version in May.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops produced a new website disputing key claims made in Dan Brown's novel that are likely to be included in Howard's movie, starring Tom Hanks.

"The Da Vinci Code' is a mess, a riot of laughable errors and serious misstatements. Almost every page has at least one of each," the bishops wrote on the website Jesusdecoded.com.

"What this novel does [is] ... ask people to consider equivalent to the mainstream Christian tradition quite a few odd claims. Some are merely distortions of hypotheses advanced by serious scholars who do serious research. Others, however, are inaccurate or false," the site claimed.

The bishops said the site was aimed at providing "accurate information on the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity prior to the release of the movie".

It offers articles written by theologians, media commentators, art experts and others that "provide background and also reject speculation and inaccuracies about Christ and the origins of Christianity", the bishops said.

Monsignor Francis Maniscalco of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York denied that the website was a knee-jerk defensive reaction.

"Reporters have asked whether even a best-selling novel can seriously damage a church of 1 billion believers. No, in the long run, it cannot. But that is not the point. The pastoral concern of the church is for each and every person," he said.

Brown's novel, which has sold nearly 40 million copies worldwide, hinges on the theory that Christ married Mary Magdalene and that they had children.