"Thou art, Simon Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church - and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it" - was Jesus' statement as He blessed the birth of the Catholic Church more than 2,000 years ago.

Throughout its history, there have been attempts by Revisionists including Arianism (that denied the existence of the three Divine Persons) to challenge the doctrines of the Church. Today, the Church of Rome has withstood those challenges - and is today the spiritual home of over one billion people.

In the 1970s smash play-turned movie musicale called "Jesus Christ Superstar," Christians felt blasphemy in some sections of the entertaining rock musicale. One of the heresies was the imputation that Judas Iscariot-didn't really have a free will when he betrayed Christ at the Garden of Gethsemane - because such was needed to complete the story of the Crufixion - and indeed man's salvation from sin. The JC Superstar was a monster and critically acclaimed hit but that didn't dent the core of the faith of most Christians.

Before the Lenten season, the Christendom was agog over a new writings called supposedly "The Gospel of Judas" which, once again, resurfaced the image of Judas as a do-gooder rather than the materialistically greedy traitor who hanged himself on a tree from unimaginable remorse. The Christian World survived that one, absolutely, remarkably.

In a few days, first-class theaters nationwide will be showing the thrill-packed, action-laden movie "Da Vinci Code" lifted from the best-selling, if somewhat sacrilegious book, written by Dan Brown.

From Judas, the central focus has shifted to Mary Magdalene, the repentant sinner who was stopped from being stoned by villagers once scandalized by her deeds in the past.

"Da Vinci Code's" thesis is that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and has a daughter Sarah which produced a bloodline of monarchs, kings and influential persons. The under-current hypothesis is that Jesus was not a Divine Person but a mere mortal. The movie stars the multi-awarded actor Tom Hanks and shows the race against time of a secret organization to kill the alleged truth of the Jesus and Magdalene Affair.

Many Biblical scholars like Dominican priest Fr. Regino Cortes (who wrote "Da Vinci Code (Exegetical Review) "(telephone 7313522) and former senator Kit Tatad who is an Opus Dei, took turns in tearing to shreds this clear "fiction" disguised as a bearer of historical facts and theological dogmas.

The Divinity of Jesus was not certified by men in the Council of Nicea (200 A.D) but were witnessed by apostles and followers and recorded by inspired writers in the four Gospels of the Church. Many apostles were crucified and killed in defense of the faith but it was only Jesus in his Divine Power, who rose from the grave, appeared before His followers and went into Heaven.

Dan Brown asserts Jesus as a Rabbi was supposed to follow a social decorum of being married and as a Jew was not expected to remain single. But Jesus was not a clear Rabbi but was even despised by the latter for violating the Sabbath; nor were Jews prescribed to be married. Biblical accounts show the Prophet Jeremiah was single. And was St John the Evangelist.

Mary Magdalene was close to Jesus and was witness to His Crucifixion and Resurrection but not much more. The so-called black girl who fled with the two Marys alleged to be the daughter of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is the venerable saint of the gypsies. Because if this was not so, Jesus in His Ultimate Compassion would have left the care of Magdalene and their child to the apostles in the same way John was asked at Calvary "Behold Thy Mother."

Mary Magdalene tried to escape the prosecution of Herod in Jerusalem and fled to the rocky hills of Mt. Maximin in France where she became a contemplative and declared a saint. The two Marys who fled were Mother Mary and her sister (another Mary, not Magdalene).

The movie will show the painting of the famous Leonardo Da Vinci as showing a feminine figure at "The Last Supper" between Jesus and Peter who was reportedly Mary Magdalene. The fact is, it is John the Apostle being asked by Peter as to who would betray the Master. Scores of "The Last Supper" paintings that antedate Da Vinci do not suggest presence of any woman in the "Last Super" as the author Brown maliciously insinuates to be Magdalene.

There is no doubt that fans will be thrilled by the fast-paced action of the movie but could erroneously take the side gospels it propagates as well, gospel-truth. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

Like a witness surgically exposed on witness stand as perjurer of lies, Brown is now a beaten man - exposed for his lone desire to make millions of dollars on royalties by feeding half-truths and lies on the Catholic faith. He is now facing on your face plagiarism cases from authors of three previous books, "The Da Vinci Legacy," "The Daughter of God" and the "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" for copyright infringement.

In his lucidly written and logically expounded book, Fr Cortes had methodically reduced Brown not just a sloppy novelist that violates laws of science and logic in his tall tales but is a sloppy researcher who has hurriedly lumped together one historical fallacy on another to build his tasteless case.

Despite these, we do not subscribe that the book or the movie be banned. Let the Catholic faith be tested on the crucible of truth. By all means, read the book and watch the movie. Then consult your priests and elders.

But most of all, pray incessantly for guidance of the Holy Spirit and then discern the prodding of your heart. Such is our faith strengthened.