The Holy See is looking at a boycott of Angels & Demons, the prequel to Hollywood blockbuster The Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks, Italian newspapers say - even though Hanks' character is said to be on a mission to save the Vatican.
Avvenire, the Vatican's official newspaper, says in its latest edition that the Church "cannot approve" of the film.
Italian newspaper La Stampa reported the Vatican will soon call on Catholics to boycott the film.
Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, the head of the Vatican's Prefecture for Economic Affairs, said that to dramatise the faults of the film would be a "publicity gift" to the film makers, The Times Online says.
"We should not play these people at their own game," he told La Stampa.
However, the same article quoted Archbishop Velasio De Paolis warning that a boycott could create a "boomerang effect" by giving the movie more publicity, The Telegraph reports.
Angels & Demons sees Hanks reprise his role as Harvard professor Robert Langdon. This time he is on a mission to save the Vatican from being destroyed by a canister of anti-matter.
Last summer, the Vatican banned the film makers from entering the Holy See or any church in Rome. A key scene set inside the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria had to be filmed on a soundstage.
Vatican spokesman, Fr Marco Fibbi, said: "Usually we read the script but in this case it wasn't necessary. Just the name Dan Brown was enough."
The Catholic Church was infuriated by The Da Vinci Code, which suggested that Jesus may have been secretly married to Mary Magdalene. However, their disapproval had little effect on box office takings and The Da Vinci Code went on to gross $757 million worldwide.
SOURCE
Vatican 'to call for boycott' of Tom Hanks film Angels & Demons (Telegraph)
Vatican plots battle with Dan Brown over Da Vinci Code sequel (Times Online)
LINKS
Angels & Demons (Wikipedia)