If the movie The Da Vinci Code corresponds to the book by Dan Brown, it is most important to understand The Da Vinci Code as a work of fiction. In the book, Mr. Brown includes historical facts along with fictional information in a way that can be misleading for people who approach the book or movie as factual or faith based creations. To address questions and concerns, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and other Roman Catholic organizations have focused on education by creating several tools to help people understand the facts and our beliefs about Jesus’ life and ministry, and the Archdiocese is making this information available locally. Please see our web site, www.archlou.org, for a link to Catholic web sites that deal with issues raised by this novel: jesusdecoded.com and americancatholic.org/News/DaVinciCode/default.asp.

Archdiocese of Louisville
May 16, 2006