I thought the Catholics believed in forgiveness, but I guess not when your name is Dan Brown as a request to film portions of the upcoming prequel to The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, in two of Rome's churches (Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria) was turned down by the diocese of Rome.

It appears they made a very well-informed decision basing the banning of Angels and Demons on the content of "The Da Vinci Code" and the author of both "Da Vinci" and "Angels and Demons," Dan Brown. Did they read the script? No, but Father Marco Fibbi, spokesman for the diocese, said he would have had they pushed him to.

"Given the story of The Da Vinci Code, banning the filming for Angels & Demons was automatic – the name Dan Brown was enough," was a quote Father Fibbi gave to the Guardian. You gotta love it when things are now dismissed before anyone even knows what they are about.

Fibbi made a statement that makes no sense saying, "We think the books are fantasy and we allow films to be shot in churches when they have a religious context and do not offend religious sensitivity." So fantasy is now offensive, even if you haven't read it? Nice.

Since the snub, director, Ron Howard, has reportedly been building sets of the churches in Hollywood. The royal palace at Caserta near Naples is doubling for the Vatican.

Does any of this really matter? No, but I think it is a sad state of affairs when people don't make well-informed decisions. I respect the statement saying they banned it because of Dan Brown and "The Da Vinci Code". That's honest. However, the fantasy vs. offensive statement is trying to put a nice spin on it and it just doesn't work.

For more on the film, which stars Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and centers on a ticking time bomb at Vatican City click here.

Related post categories: Movie News : Angels and Demons, Catholics, Dan Brown, Ron Howard, The Da Vinci Code, Tom Hanks, Vatican

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