Christians block Da Vinci's India trail

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New Delhi: Christians on Monday vowed peaceful protests across the country if authorities did not ban the screening of the controversial film,Da Vinci Code.

The call for peaceful protests by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) came on a day when a powerful organisation of Islamic clerics promised to help Christian groups launch protests against the film.

Protests in India against the film have so far been low profile, but several Catholic groups have threatened to stage street demonstrations and even shut down cinema halls screening the controversial movie.

CBCI officials however, said they would not tolerate any kind of violent protest.

"In fact the CBCI has just written a letter to an editor in response to an editorial in a daily newspaper that they totally condemn any move towards placing a so-called bounty on the head of the author. The church is condemning the movie on one hand, but we are appealing for the ban on the film," Father D’Souza added.

Powerful Islamic clerics have joined the issue with the Christians, saying Da Vinci Code is blasphemous as it spreads lies about Jesus Christ.

Da Vinci Code is an adaptation of author Dan Brown's bestseller by the same name that suggests that Jesus married his female disciple Mary Magdalene and had a child with her.

The film is slated for worldwide release at the end of this week.

The Vatican has also condemned the book and the film and asked Christians across the world to boycott Da Vinci Code.

In India, leaders of the two communities met politicians and police in the Mumbai on Saturday, urging authorities to stop the screening of the film.

Several Indian Christian groups have said they would protest against the film, with one little known Catholic organisation even calling on Christians to begin a fast until death.

Last week, small groups of protesters marched in Mumbai and burned a copy of the book.

"When Dan Brown comes up with a story like that then it is blasphemous. Regarding protests, we will not have any protest. I have heard that in Mumbai there were some protests regarding the release of the movie, but we will not protest like this. Everyone has his or her own way of protest. The church is not doing it. But we are teaching the Christians and the public about the teachings of Jesus and what is the truth behind it," said Father Paul, president of West Bengal Signis Catholic Association, in Kolkata.