On April 29, The Times reported that "the Vatican stepped up its offensive against The Da Vinci Code yesterday when a top official close to Pope Benedict blasted the book as full of anti-Christian lies and urged Catholics to boycott the film. The latest broadside came from Archbishop Angelo Amato, the number two official in the Vatican doctrinal office which was headed by Pope Benedict until his election last year".

Addressing a conference in Rome, the Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "called the book 'stridently anti-Christian... full of calumnies, offences and historical and theological errors regarding Jesus, the Gospels and the Church" and added: "I hope that you all will boycott the film".

Only four days later, on May 3, local papers reported that the Maltese Curia did not approve the holding of a protest against the film planned to be held on Saturday, May 20.

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