Catholics protest release of movie: Elizabeth

After the Da Vinci Code controversial movie that received huge protests from the Christian community, the Catholic Church in India is once again up in arms against Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

The church’s objection to the film, a loose rendition of events during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (AD1533–1603), is that it portrays the Catholic Church in a negative light vis–à–vis the Protestant Church, thereby sharpening the denominational divide.
The film’s director, Shekhar Kapur, has denied that Elizabeth was anti–Catholic, and had even hinted that he could make a third film on the British Queen. Kapur told reporters in Sydney last Friday the film was “anti (all) extreme forms of religion.”

According to Joseph Dias, general secretary, Catholic Secular Forum (CSF), the film showed the Pope negatively. An entire congregation of priests and laity was also shown as plotting Elizabeth’s murder.

“In the 21st century, when we are talking about unity irrespective of caste or creed, we have people like Shekhar Kapur not only taking us back to issues that are no longer relevant but also rubbing salt over wounds,” said Dias.

A memorandum has been sent to Censor Board chief Sharmila Tagore and I&B minister Priya Ranhan Dasmunsi asking for a preview before the film's release. “We want a representative from the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) to be placed on a panel viewing this film, and to have a say in censoring objectionable scenes,” said Dias.

Babu Joseph, CBCI spokesperson, the apex body of the Catholic Church in India, said “they have distorted the Catholic history of England. We do not approve or endorse it. The church has taken note of it, that they are portraying it in a bad light. We strongly disapprove of this tendency.”