Tom Hanks Barred: The Vatican Bans "Angels & Demons" From Rome Churches

The Vatican has banned the makers of Angels & Demons, the latest Dan Brown thriller to be filmed, from shooting scenes not only in the Vatican but in any church in Rome on the ground that it is "an offence against God" and "wounds common religious feelings".

Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, head of the Vatican's Prefecture for Economic Affairs, said that the author had "turned the Gospels upside down to poison the faith. It would be unacceptable to transform churches into film sets so that his blasphemous novels can be made into mendacious films in the name of business."

Father Marco Fibbi, spokesman for the diocese of Rome, said: "Normally we read the script, but this time it was not necessary. The name Dan Brown was enough." The Vatican fiercely condemned both the novel The Da Vinci Code and its film version, which starred Tom Hanks as the Harvard professor Robert Langdon.

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Here are pictures of Tom Hanks and Ron Howard in Rome filming

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From the AP:

Rome's diocese said Monday it has barred the producers of "Angels & Demons" from filming in two churches for the prequel to the "The Da Vinci Code," the popular book and film that angered many Catholic leaders.

Producers of the film, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, were turned down because the movie "does not conform to our views," said Monsignor Marco Fibbi, a spokesman for the diocese.

The crew had asked to film in the churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria, two architectural jewels in the heart of Rome that include paintings by Caravaggio, sculptures by Bernini and a chapel designed by Raphael.

Permission was denied in 2007, but the issue surfaced only now that filming is ongoing in Rome, Fibbi said. The Sony-produced film was put on hold during the Writers Guild of America strike that ended in February and is now scheduled for release in May 2009.

Fibbi's comments first were reported this week by the Italian entertainment magazine "TV Sorrisi e Canzoni." "It's a film that treats religious issues in a way that contrasts with common religious sentiment," Fibbi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "We would be helping them create a work that might well be beautiful but that does not conform to our views."

Fibbi acknowledged that the controversy over writer Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and its blockbuster movie version had weighed on the decision.

The story drew anger and prompted calls for boycotts by church leaders worldwide with the idea that Jesus married and fathered children and by depicting the conservative Catholic movement, Opus Dei, as a murderous cult.

"This is a prequel to 'The Da Vinci Code' and it's clear that the theme is similar," Fibbi said. He added that the ban would not stop the crew from filming the exterior of the churches.

Brown's "Angels and Demons" is a religious thriller combining an ancient secret brotherhood called the Illuminati, code-cracking, a papal conclave and a high-tech weapon threatening to destroy the Vatican.

It features Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon of "The Da Vinci Code" fame, played by Hanks in the movie.

Calls to Sony Pictures in London and Rome were not immediately returned Monday.

Comments

[Agentlady007]

Is Ron fighting this thing?

[Gregorio]

Bravo for Mother Church. Best publicity A&D can get. The more dust up the better. Best send those priests and nuns out there to picket the movie too. Lots of faithful yelling BLASPHEMY!!! What a show!

[poles]

The Catholic Church is the worst offender of an offence against God" and "wounds common religious feelings". My In-Laws are from Greece and Rome. One was raped by a Catholic priest when she was little and was not allowed to say anything. The Catholic priests rape nuns and children of both sexes and it is all kept secret by the Pope and Cardinals. Remember the Pope came up through the ranks as priest, bishop and cardinal. So the Question is could anyone in the higher slots of the Catholic Church have moral standards. The many of the children in orphanages in Europe are from the offspring of nuns. Their stand against a movie is all a smoke screen the help fool the faithful. In Europe the molestation of children and the rape of women is not talked about by the people and is tolerated. If a movie causes such an uproar in the Catholic Church maybe there is a reason and the story hits close to home. The Catholic Church offends my moral standard.

[Looplinker]

Hehehe....the Vatican must really be walking on thin ice if they fear a movie.
Well it is a strange world when most of humanity is caught up in primitive belief systems whose original participants did not know sh.. from sh...

Long Live Zeus and His begotten son Apollo.

[weedhighnightmare]

I think I liked Angels and Demons even better than I did The DaVinci Code, except maybe for the outlandish ending. The church may do as they please with their property. Who can blame them?

[Titonwan]

For centuries the church has been omipresent in people lives bexxsffzvsvs xxsfdfgxve zzzzxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[RRonin]

Dan Brown has done the Catholic Church more good than anything emanating from Rome in the last 40 years. I doubt if Brown's books have caused a single Catholic to lose their faith and it has probably energized a lot of Catholics to support their Church.

[gotborked]

Possibly, but that is no reason for the Church to actively participate and lend its property to further Dan Brown's anti-Catholic projects.

[gotborked]

This is a no brainer.

For one:
If someone wanted to make a movie about you, and you felt that the movie was slanderous of you and of your family, would you let that someone use your home to film?

For two:
If the Church believes that the misinformation passed off as truth delivered in this book/movie will misdirect some readers/viewers from the truth, than the Church itself would be actively participating in an evil by lending their facilities...an evil that is utterly contrary to the Church's own purpose.

It is asinine to blame them for not participating in the filming of this movie.

[oldtree]

That's quite good. The oldest profession in the world, prostitution/religion says films are bad for business. They got Tony Blair to jerk the pope, and now there is talk that even the idiot boy is going to officially become an inquisitor as well.
laughs like this are the best.

[rroy]

Know what?Who the hell cares?
` I have no church or religious affiliation of any kind and haven't for many years.
Out of curiosity I bought The Davince Code and read about two thirds of it.I got that far and finaly realized,"this is a bunch of silly fictional nonsenese,and I've got a lot better things to do with my time!
I love to read history,and biographies of prominant people of the near and distant past.When I do this I feel like I'm learning something while being entertained.
I read the first three Harry Potter books and quit after the third one because they became variations on a theme.But that's okey,I'm an old fart .But I remain totaly entranced by the fantacy and theme of Harry,and can see why a kid would love every one of the books.In fact I"ve seen the first movie three times,and will no doubt see it a few more over the years, because it is just plane fun.But silly adult nonsense like The Davinci code etal,Forget it!!!

[RatgurlSD]

The Catholic diocese doesn't have much confidence in their own faith, do they?

It's only Hollywood! They should be so lucky to have their church brought into the international spotlight!!!

[torrrep]

What hole are you living in? There are BILLIONS of catholics world wide. I doubt they need this movie to be put in the international spot light.

[Hopeforward]

Yes, the Vatican said the film would be an "an offence against God", which is exactly what is wrong with all organized religion, they presume to know what God wants. Funny, I wonder if God wanted the Vatican to knowingly hide the pedophile scandal for years. Hypocrites.

[helonias]

Maybe if they got rid of all their graven images.........

[ylpatriot]

Bingo !!!! For years catholic priests have come and gone as they please.. I know from a personal experience as one priest told my husband and I in Lake Charles La. how he took a holiday frequently to New Orleans, wearing civilian clothing, to play cards, throw down a few borbons and God only knows what else !!! and folks that was 1960. so lets not kid ourselves, its all a mockery eh ?

[kfdan]

The Church of Rome is only one road in life. The Dan Browns of the world add spice and zest to the story! Inside the Church of Rome are good and bad, low and high, dark and light ~ just like in all organizations! Opus Dei is certainly one of the more kinky aspects of the Church of Rome!

[AmericanSinceFeb08]

Just like in the old days. This church is controlling information. They will decide what is good for their flock to know. Who are running this organization? Yes, angry old white men.

[torrrep]

They're not controlling information. Anyone that wants to read the book can do so. They don't have to allow anyone to film their if they don't want to.

[piano33]

Don't forget that during WW II the Pope was pro Fascist and blessed Mussolini's tanks and even had crucifixes painted on them as they went to Ethiopia to wage war against Haile Sellassie and his defenseless soldiers on horseback.

What do you expect from the Church? Do you expect the Catholic Church to be an example of Christ's teachings about love and humility? They are a powerful empire and exercise authority over millions of people and will not tolerate ideas that don't conform to their dogma. What country does that remind you of?

[reeves6]

Amerika?