U zadnje vrijeme smo primili mnoga pitanja u vezi filma Da Vincijev kod.

Želimo ponoviti ono što smo rekli 12. siječnja: nemamo nikakvu želju za prepiranjem, i neće biti bojkota ili bilo čega sličnog. Nastavit ćemo se odnositi prema ovoj situaciji transparentno, mirno i konstruktivno.

Da Vincijev kod prikazuje krivu sliku Katoličke crkve. Publicitet oko knjige i filma daje dobru priliku da se ponudi slika Crkve kakva je ona uistinu.

U enciklici “Deus Caritas Est”, papa Benedikt XVI je napomenuo da je milosrđe osnovna karakteristika Crkve: “Ljubav je dakle služenje koje Crkva provodi kako bi mogla biti na raspolaganju za ljudske patnje i potrebe, uključujući i materijalne potrebe” (br. 19).

U tom smislu, ovo bi moglo biti pravo vrijeme da proširimo znanje o radu koje katolici izvršavaju u Africi. Također je dobro vrijeme da se pomogne nastojanju mnogih crkvenih institucija u Africi, u kojoj su neke od najtežih kritičnih situacija u svijetu.

Mnogi ljudi su povrijeđeni nedostatkom poštovanja od strane Da Vincijevog koda prema kršćanskim vjerovanjima. Pozivamo ih da izraze te osjećaje mirno i konstruktivno, šireći svijest o obrazovnim i dobrotvornim projektima koje provode katolici u Africi, ili donirajući mali iznos novaca da ih podrže. Shvaćamo da je takva donacija simbolični znak, ali također može imati konkretan i pozitivan efekt.

Harambee 2006 trenutno podržava četiri projekta koje podupiru afrički katolici, od kojih dva podupiru članovi Opusa Dei. Postoji još mnogo inicijativa koje su vrijedne podrške sviju i nije teško odlučiti se za jednu.

Podizanjem svijesti o solidarnosti afričkih katolika je način da se omogući da javna diskusija oko Da Vincijevog koda ne ostane na sterilnoj polemici. To je način na koji debata dobiva pozitivne rezultate: konkretna pomoć onima u potrebi, i veća svijest o temeljnim aspektima Katoličke crkve.

Istovremeno i dalje vjerujemo u otvorenost Sony-Picturesa i u njihov kapacitet za konstruktivnu reakciju.

Lako je vidjeti da nije dovoljno ponuditi povrijeđenima mogućnost da se brane dok se vrijeđanje nastavlja. Ponašati se dobro znači izbjegavati uvrede dok je to još moguće.

Preostala su još tri mjeseca do izlaska filma. Dakle, nastavljamo se nadati da završna verzija filma neće imati sadržaj koji bi mogao povrijediti katolike. Ovakva gesta pomirenja bi bila vrlo cijenjena, posebno u ova vremena kada se svi žalimo na bolne posljedice netolerancije.

Još ima vremena da Sony-Pictures pridonese miru i harmoniji koji bi bili od velike važnosti u ovom trenutku. Sony-Pictures može pokazati da je sloboda izražavanja kompatibilna s poštovanjem prema religijskim vjerovanjima, i može pokazati da je poštovanje slobodan odabir koji proizlazi iz osjetljivosti, a ne posljedica cenzure ili prijetnji.

S tom pomirbenom odlukom, Sony-Pictures bi uvelike pomogao dijalogu između kultura i na taj način bi bio na čast svojem respektabilnom ugledu.

Press statement on The Da Vinci Code

We offer a statement from the Opus Dei Communications Office in Rome, released to the press on February 14 in connection with The Da Vinci Code film.

Rome, February 14, 2006 -- We have recently received many questions about The Da Vinci Code film.

We wish to reiterate what we said on January 12: we have no desire for controversy, and there will not be a boycott or anything similar. We will continue to approach this situation with transparency, serenity and a constructive spirit.

The Da Vinci Code offers a deformed image of the Catholic Church. The publicity surrounding the book and the film provide a good opportunity to offer a picture of the Church as it truly is.

In the encyclical Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI noted that charity is an essential characteristic of the Church: “Love is therefore the service that the Church carries out in order to attend constantly to man's sufferings and his needs, including material needs” (n. 19).

In that vein, this could be a good time to spread awareness of the work of service that Catholics are carrying out in Africa. It is also a good moment to aid the efforts of many Church institutions in Africa, which continues to suffer some of the world’s greatest emergency situations.

Many people feel pained by The Da Vinci Code’s lack of respect for the beliefs of Christians. We invite them to express these feelings peacefully and constructively, by spreading awareness about educational or charitable projects carried out by Catholics in Africa, or by making a small donation to support them. We realize that such a donation is a symbolic gesture, but it would also have a concrete and positive effect.

Harambee 2006 is currently supporting four projects promoted by African Catholics, two of them by members of Opus Dei. There are also many other initiatives worthy of support by all, and it is not difficult to select one.

Raising awareness of African Catholics’ solidarity efforts is a way to keep public controversy about The Da Vinci Code from becoming sterile. It is a way of ensuring that the debate have positive results: concrete assistance to those in need, and a greater awareness of this essential aspect of the Catholic Church.

At the same time, we continue to believe in Sony Pictures’ capacity to be sensitive and constructive.

It is easy to see that it is not enough to offer the injured an opportunity to defend themselves, while the offense continues. Acting well means avoiding offense while it is still possible.

Three months remain until the film’s release. Therefore, we continue to hope that the final version of the film will not contain references that might hurt Catholics. A conciliatory gesture like this would be much appreciated, especially in these times when we are all lamenting the painful consequences of intolerance.

There is still time for Sony Pictures to make a contribution to peace and harmony that would be of great importance in the current moment. Sony Pictures can demonstrate that freedom of expression is compatible with respect for religious beliefs, and it can show that respect is a free choice resulting from sensitivity, not a consequence of censure or threats.

With a conciliatory decision, Sony Pictures would do a great service to the cause of dialogue between cultures and would honor its own respectable reputation.