- A leading US TV news reporter has said her network is
taking a risk with a news special which asks whether Jesus Christ had a
wife.
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- ABC's Elizabeth Vargas said Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci,
to be shown in the US on Monday night, was being made "as respectfully
as we can".
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- But she admitted: "You can't talk about this subject
without intriguing people or offending people."
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- The programme is partly based on the best-selling novel
The Da Vinci Code.
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- The book alleges Mary Magdalene - a biblical figure widely
thought to have been a prostitute - was actually Jesus's wife.
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- The book also asserts Magdalene fled Jerusalem with Jesus'
child after his crucifixion.
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- This story was supposed to have been kept alive by a
secret society that included the medieval painter and inventor Leonardo
Da Vinci.
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- Da Vinci left clues about the story in his art, the novel
alleged.
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- ABC have already screened the special, which talks to
some theologians to try and unravel the theory, for some journalists and
religious leaders.
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- 'Crackpot theory'
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- It has already drawn criticism from a representative
of the Catholic League, Joseph Feo, who said the news special had relied
too much on the opinions of Father Richard McBrien of Notre Dame.
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- Father McBrien is said to believe the historical importance
of Mary Magdalene had been under-rated.
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- Mr De Feo said: "The majority of the people who
spoke believed in either the plausibility or the outright truth of [book
author] Dan Brown's claims. The facts themselves scream out that this is
a crackpot theory."
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- Vargas said ABC had not found any proof as to whether
Jesus had a wife, but could not completely discount the theory either.
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- "For me, it's made religion more real and, ironically,
much more interesting - which is what we're hoping to do for our viewers,"
she said.
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- © BBC MMIII
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- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3229829.stm
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