It is very possible that some large theater chains may refuse to show the film because of its blasphemous attacks against the Person of the God-Man Jesus Christ. Although the plot is supposed to be based on fiction, its use of historical figures like Jesus Christ, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Peter, St. John, and others, weaving fantastic tales around them, can offend the sensibilities of many Christians. Any practicing follower of Christ would have the same reaction as Italian journalist Marc Carroggio who said in an interview with the Zenit International News Agency: "I realize that fiction has its own rules and you shouldn’t take it too seriously, but like any Christian I dislike the frivolous way the book plays with the life of Jesus Christ.

"Moreover, scripts like this demonize a particular group. It presents the Catholic Church as a band of criminals who for 2,000 years has tried to hide a huge lie.

"Although the story is absurd and at times somewhat humorous, it produces a hateful image of the institution and it is well known that hateful images like this produce feelings of hatred in those who lack a critical sense.

"I don’t think we need more caricatures of any religion. We should all be working for harmony, tolerance, and understanding. You cannot be seeking peace with your left hand while you are beating people over the head with your right."

A very quick way to demonstrate how absurd is the allegation that there was a sexual relationship between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene was suggested to me by a friend, Tony Roxas, who is a staunch defender of the faith in the Philippines. The following is his rebuttal: "The Da Vinci Code’s claim of a romantic relationship between our Lord Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene is obviously a big lie, because if this were true, there is no way such an all-important fact could have remained undetected by the deep intelligence network of the Roman military at that time. All the Roman government had to do was to expose it! And that would have killed Christianity forever!!! Long long ago!"

I may be wrong about the theater owners and film distributors. They may look at this as a business proposition pure and simple. The film could be hugely successful. Why not ignore its offensive tone? After all, Christians are unlikely to react as the Muslims did against what were considered as blasphemous cartoons against the Prophet Muhammad.

In fact, my own take is that the Filipino masses will be turned off by the attacks against the Catholic faith contained in the film. Research has revealed that the crowds in movie theaters are explained, not by the hype of media or advertisements, but by word-of-mouth promotion. The first ones who watch the film tell their relatives and friends how good or bad the film is. I suspect that the first ones who will see the film out of curiosity will not enthusiastically endorse the film to others. The Da Vinci Code may not last even one week in many theaters, suffering the fate of most X-rated films.

If I am wrong and the film turns out to be a blockbuster sensation, then I will follow the advice of Marc Carroggio. I will "use the lemon to make lemonade." According to him: "Actually this event gives us a wonderful chance to talk about Jesus Christ. After all, it is the figure of Jesus Christ that explains, to a large degree, the popularity of the book.

"The novel is essentially parasitical: The author makes a name for himself by attacking a major culture figure, and he presents it as art. If the plot did not center on Jesus Christ, the book would lose its appeal.

"I think that the best response is simply to help people to know Jesus Christ. I suspect that in the coming year, many people will be moved to read the Gospels or a book about the life of Jesus Christ.

"They will be drawn to consider the great themes of faith, which give light to the most difficult questions of human existence. For me, these are all ways of turning the lemon into lemonade."

I invite the practicing Christians among my readers to pray that God will, as He always does, produce good out of the evil found in The Da Vinci Code. For an intercessor, we can turn to the late Pope John Paul II, whose birthday falls on May 18, the day the film is supposed to be released in some continents. For comments, my e-mail is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.