Coalition of Catholics Offer Antidote to The Da Vinci Code

"The Da Vinci Code is the epitome of the old saying that if you’re going to tell a lie, make it really big one. The book has wooed and intimidated more than 30 million readers by skillfully tapping into what many have identified as America’s last acceptable prejudice – anti-Catholicism".– Tom Allen, President & Editor-in-Chief, CatholicExchange.com.

Encinitas, CA, February 21, 2006 – The Da Vinci Code, the Dan Brown novel and forthcoming (May 19th) Ron Howard/Tom Hanks motion picture urges audiences in its marketing literature to "Seek the Truth." Ironically, the book begins with a list of "facts" that apparently neither the author nor the filmmakers ever actually fact-checked.

A coalition of Catholics, including Ascension Press, Catholic Exchange, and Catholic Outreach, has formed an initiative called DaVinci Outreach to help readers and moviegoers navigate their way through the web of bogus history and outright lies conjured up by Dan Brown and brought to life by Imagine Entertainment and Sony Pictures.

"A simple Google search would have revealed to Academy Award-Winning director Ron Howard the myriad of factual errors in The Da Vinci Code. For example, the Dead Sea Scrolls are identified in the novel as Christian documents, not Jewish, and Brown cites the Vatican eleven centuries before it even existed," said Matthew Pinto, president of Ascension Press, which is spearheading this outreach. "

These examples merely scratch the surface. What it boils down to is that 30 million readers have been duped by a deceptively good piece of fiction. Da Vinci Outreach has been launched to counter these claims and provide Catholics with the resources they need to effectively defend Christ and the Catholic Church."

The Da Vinci Outreach campaign hopes to clear up the historical and theological confusion that surrounds The Da Vinci Code. The outreach effort provides concerned individuals with the resources they need to seek the real truth and equip themselves for the inevitable watercooler conversations that will attack the principles of Christianity, the Catholic Church, and the Person of Jesus Christ.

"The Da Vinci Code is a frontal assault on Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church," continues Matthew Pinto. "DavinciOutreach.com, a Web site that offers resources, study guides, local speaker information, and other free materials, is the much-needed antidote to the spiritual and intellectual poison that permeates Dan Brown’s novel and that will undoubtedly be depicted in the forthcoming film."