India: Catholic Church Wants Film Banned / Freedom of Expression continually undermined in the name of religion

The Hindu, 21 April 2009
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200904211605.htm

Catholic Church demands ban on film

New Delhi (PTI): The Catholic Church in India has demanded a ban on the release of a film based on Dan Brown's bestseller "Angels and Demons", alleging that it was an attempt to malign the Christian faith.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of Catholic Church in the country, also warned that the film's "unqualified" release in the country can cause "disquiet" within the community and it is "disturbed" at this.

"We ask for banning of the controversial film in India where Christianity is still in the process of being understood by large section of society," Stanislaus Fernandes, Secretary General of CBCI, said in a letter to Censor Board Chairperson Sharmila Tagore.

"To present the Holy Bible and its sacred messages in a distorted manner is an insult to Christianity and its followers, not only in India but also all over the world," he said. The film will be released in the country on May 15.

Mr. Fernandes said the CBCI was "disturbed" as the film "attempts to malign Christians and their faith through deliberate distortion of facts".

"Angels and Demons" is a mystery-thriller which revolves around the quest of fictional Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon to unravel the mysteries of a secret society called the Illuminati and to prevent a plot from annihilating Vatican City.