Opus Dei on ‘The Da Vinci Code’

NEW YORK — On the eve of the premiere of the film version of “The Da Vinci Code,” and in a television first, MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” broadcast from the Opus Dei headquarters in New York. 

Opus Dei, the Catholic organization portrayed in “The Da Vinci Code,” is on the offensive to discredit the feature film as it hits theaters next week — the Catholic Church is asking its members around the world to boycott the film.

The Rev. Thomas Bohlin, vicar of Opus Dei in the United States, joined Matthews to explain how his orthodox group is portrayed in the film, while Msgr. Francis Maniscalco, spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke on behalf of the Vatican.