Monday, May 22, 2006

Opus Dei and Corporal Mortification (and Poseidon)

Fr. Michael Barrett, a priest of Opus Dei and director of the Holy Cross Chapel and Catholic Resource Center in Houston, TX, responds to The Da Vinci Code's portrayal of Opus Dei and its views on Corporal Mortification:
The Da Vinci Code's bloody depictions of mortification are grotesque exaggerations that have nothing to do with reality. Obviously the movie makers were looking for shock value, and the real use of the cilice and discipline would have been too tame. In reality, they cause a fairly low level of discomfort comparable to fasting. There is no blood, no injury, nothing to harm a person's health, nothing traumatic. If it caused any harm, the Church would not allow it.
Fr. Barrett is a good man. When I first saw the trailer for The Da Vinci Code, I had to laugh - Particularly when it showed the Opus Dei Albino Monk literally ripping a cilice from his flesh and beating himself senseless with a discipline. Yeah, right.

Bill Cork offers some views on the film itself. I went to the movies too, but being a fan of large ships and disaster flicks, I couldn't resist the urge to see Poseidon. I liked the special effects and some decent action sequences, but I still prefer the 70's classic. :)

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