Dead Because of the Da Vinci Code

Man stabs Catholic Priest after watching The Da Vinci Code

The Malaysian Insider

ROME, Sept 25 - A man who attacked a priest has claimed he did so after watching the film The Da Vinci Code.

Father Caino Calitri, 68, was in a critical condition in a Rome hospital yesterday after he was repeatedly stabbed in the neck by 25-year-old Marco Luzi.

Police found a note in one of Luzi's pockets reading: "This is just the beginning, 666"  -  a number linked to the Devil.

The Daily Mail says Luzi,  who also stabbed three bystanders who came to Father Calitri's aid,  told police he had watched The Da Vinci Code the night before.
Officers who visited his flat also found a print of The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci and a note. which read, "I, the antiChrist".

The attack took place at the Santa Marcella church in Rome.

Hero police officer Luca Gori, 41, who disarmed Luzi, suffered knife wounds to his stomach as he struggled with him on the floor of the church.

Witnesses said Luzi had burst in armed with two knives and carrying a set of rosary beads, shouting that he was the 'antiChrist' and yelling about The Da Vinci Code.

Vittorio Rizzi, of Rome's flying squad, said: "There certainly seemed to be a link between the film and the attack. He told us he had seen The Da Vinci Code on TV the night before.

"Then he said he had heard voices in his head telling him to carry out his mission and we also found a copy of Da Vinci's Last Supper at his home."

The theme of the antiChrist and the fresco figure prominently in the book and its film adaptation, both of which have been condemned by the Vatican.

Published in 2003, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has caused controversy around the world and it follows symbologist Robert Langdon as he investigates a murder in the Louvre.

He then goes on to discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to and fathering children with Mary Magdalene.

The film  -  which starred Tom Hanks and Sir Ian McKellen  -  outraged many Catholics because of its claim that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children.

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My Own Opinion (MOO)

When I first read the Dan Brown classic, I remembered being left speechless by the possibilities; "What? Jesus is married to Mary Magdalene?" It was radical and scandalous. Yes there were many people (myself included) got affected by the book and later movie. Personally, after much thought, I've decided to take the whole thing in with a pinch of salt. Despite it has historical evidence as facts somehow I concluded that in the end, it's only a novel. To put it bluntly, a story book.  Author James Clavell drew heavily from historic events in his books like 'Shogun' and 'Tai Pan' but they are still classified as fiction. And people accepted this and moved on.

And now we have this imbecile running around murdering a priest and some church goers just because he had seen the Da Vinci Code...