Welcome to thetruthdecoded.org.au, an integrated cultural, artistic, spiritual and intellectual response to the launch of the Da Vinci Code movie in Australia.

This website is a project of The Australian Catholic Students Association and I commend members of this association for their time and commitment to sorting fact from fiction. This is a very important task.

The Da Vinci Code, while claiming on one hand to be a fictional novel, on the other, claims to present facts. There is a need to clarify what is fiction and what is fact.

From apostolic times, the Church has consistently taught that Jesus is the Son of God, born among us, who suffered, died, and was buried and on the third day rose again.

The interest in The Da Vinci Code novel, and now in the movie, has invited many people to consider again: who is Jesus Christ?

It is my hope that this website will further aid and encourage fruitful reflection.

Whether we claim to be Christian or not, the question of Jesus himself stands before each one of us: “But you, who do you say that I am?” 

Saint Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

How would you answer?

Bishop Julian Porteous

Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation and Renewal                  

This website will play a significant role in responding to the launch of the Da Vinci Code Movie in Australia.  The website’s cultural analysis of the Da Vinci Code is particularly powerful.  In an increasingly postmodern world where people no longer even know the central beliefs of Christian Revelation, there is a call to “seek the truth”.  All people of good will, but particularly Christians, should not be satisfied with jumbled and incoherent fragments of competing belief systems mixed with speculation.

With the presentations of the film, Mother Teresa in May as part of Carnivale Christi, the Easter Forums and the 40 Hours of Eucharistic Adoration there will be an invitation to not only seek the truth but to do as Mother Teresa did and live the truth in charity.

The very fact that this website is organised and driven by the young people of our nation is evidence that the Church in Australia is alive and dynamic.  Christianity is not the preferred faith tradition of social dinosaurs but of a younger generation trying to transcend the brokenness of much of our family life and society in general.  They can see that if there is no truth then life is meaningless.

May I draw your attention to the various articles by leading scholars that are present on this site as well as the various multimedia presentations, including an online guided tour of the Mother Church in Australia, St Mary’s Cathedral.  I also encourage you to read the statement of The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference which provides a powerful insight into the work of the Church today.

May all of us continue our endeavour to seek and live the truth.

                          
                                                         
Associate Professor Tracey Rowland

Patron

Australian Catholic Bishop's Conference Statement on the Da Vinci Code

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