Manila - Theatres in Manila on Friday stopped showing The Da Vinci Code a day after it opened in the predominantly Catholic country.
The withdrawal came after the city council approved a resolution late Thursday that banned the showing of the film, charging that it is religiously offensive and violated Philippine law.
The movie and Dan Brown's book that it is based on involve both a murder mystery and conspiracy in which the Catholic Church is depicted as covering up Mary Magdalene's marriage with Jesus and the existence of their descendants.
Councilors Rolando Valeriano and Benjamin Asilo, who filed the resolution, said the movie should be banned because it is 'offensive to the established beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.'
'It violates not only the constitutional provision on freedom of exercise of religion but also the revised penal code, which states that it is a crime to exhibit films which offend a religion,' Valeriano said.
Earlier in the week, the Philippines' Movie and Television Review and Classification Board approved the showing of the movie for adults only.
Manila Vice Mayor Danilo Lacuna said mall and theatre owners in the city who defy the ban would face up to one year in prison and a fine of 5,000 pesos (96.15 dollars).
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
Your Talkback on this Story