Catholic bookstore fights 'Da Vinci Code'

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Visibly preoccupied and weary, William Stetson still squeezes out a smile when asked yet again about the film version of "The Da Vinci Code," which was panned at Cannes. "Did you see how it was laughed at and whistled at?" the priest says of the audience response at the French film festival. First reviews of the film Wednesday brought a measure of satisfaction to the priest who runs the bookstore of the Catholic Information Center, just blocks from the White House in Washington. For weeks he has been overwhelmed by interview requests about the film and author Dan Brown's blockbuster thriller behind it, which weaves the Roman Catholic Church into a spellbinding mystery, which Rome deems an utter fiction and a threat to church dogma. [More]