Italian Churches Ban Da Vinci Code Prequel

The diocese of Rome is branching out into film criticism and banning a DaVinci Code prequel from shooting in two of the city's churches because the first movie was “harmful to religious feeling,” the ANSA news agency reports. Like the original, Angels & Demons is directed by Ron Howard from Dan Brown’s adaptation of his novel.

''It's easy to understand the reasons why permission was denied to film in the Rome churches,” said a spokesman for the diocese. ''We don't give authorization to film in church every day, and it is usually done for documentary or historical reasons. Shooting films are an exception, and the subject must be compatible and not clash with moral or pastoral criteria."