Prominent cardinal debunks 'errors' of Da Vinci Code

The Vatican has appointed a prominent cardinal to debunk what it calls the "shameful and unfounded errors" of Dan Brown's best-selling book, The Da Vinci Code.

Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, Archbishop of Genoa and a possible successor to the Pope, plans a series of debates on issues raised by the novel.

The fictional work follows the adventures of a Harvard professor who discovers the clues to a murder buried in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. He claims Da Vinci left coded messages that prove that Jesus never claimed to be divine, that he married Mary Magdalene and had children and that their bloodline survives.

The thriller also speculates about conspiracies within the church to suppress this knowledge.

Cardinal Bertone holds the first of his seminars to denounce the conspiracy theories and revision of Jesus' life portrayed in the novel on Wednesday in Genoa.

In an interview with Il Giornale newspaper, Cardinal Bertone said he was disturbed by the number of readers who had been taken in by Brown's blurring of fact and fiction. The trial, death and resurrection of Christ are indisputable, he said.

He argued against The Da Vinci Code's contention that the Church has become male-dominated and has buried its feminine side.

"In fact the female element is ever present in the Gospels, not least in the person of the Virgin Mary," he said.

This is the first time the Vatican has appointed a high-profile defender of the church to dispute theories put forward in a work of fiction. Cardinal Bertone, 70, has acted as deputy to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Last year Cardinal Bertone made a surprise appearance as an announcer at an Italian soccer game.

Observers say the Vatican must be deeply troubled by the global success of The Da Vinci Code, especially by its depiction of Opus Dei. The conservative movement, which is portrayed as almost cult-like, has issued its own 127-page denunciation of the novel.

But the greatest insult in the book appears to be the suggestion that Jesus might have had sex, which the Church sees as a contradiction of the Gospel story.

Brown's novel is currently being made into a film, starring Tom Hanks, to be released next year.

-With files from Canadian Press

• RELATED STORY: Tom Hanks poised to star in 'The Da Vinci Code'