Cardinal Arinze, the Nigerian who was on the short list of Pope John Paul II’s possible successors, was blunt: “Those who blaspheme Christ and get away with it are exploiting the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who insult us,” he said. “There are some other religions which, if you insult their founder, they will not be just talking.” The cardinal suggested that Christians take legal action against “The Da Vinci Code” but did not specify what kind. Another Vatican cardinal suggested that Catholics boycott the Ron Howard film starring Tom Hanks.

That may not be necessary. The reviews of the movie, which opens Friday, have been horrible – “You know a movie’s a dud when even its self-flagellating albino killer monk isn’t any fun,” one reviewer wrote – so maybe there’s no need for a boycott.

In any case, the communications director of Opus Dei, Brian Finnerty, told me that the group was not interested in any boycotts. Although the novel and the film depict the group as a secretive, renegade sect, Opus Dei is taking the notoriety as an opportunity to educate the public about its true mission.

But it’s just a movie, many say, so what’s the big deal? About the only way to explain the rancor and furor about this movie is to imagine a major feature film with huge Hollywood stars being made out of a novel that alleged an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” starring Harrison Ford? No way. Would Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” ever be so widely promoted by a major studio? I think not.

It’s only a movie, right? Maybe not. A British poll conducted by something called the Da Vinci Code Response Group found that people are twice as likely to believe Jesus fathered children after reading Dan Brown’s novel and four times likely to believe that Opus Dei is a murderous sect.

The group’s coordinator, Austin Ivereigh, said: “For many it is just fiction. But an alarming number of people take its spurious claims very seriously indeed. From the start, the marketing strategy behind ‘The Da Vinci Code’ has been to claim that it is based on respected theories. Brown and Sony have encouraged people to take it seriously, while hiding behind the claim that it is fiction. Our poll shows they should take responsibility for their dishonesty, and issue a health warning.”

Several polite letters to Sony Pictures and director Ron Howard from Opus Dei and the Catholic League requesting that a disclaimer be added to the beginning of the film have been ignored. Meanwhile, there are reports of mounting global protests and the film received a negative reaction from the viewers at Cannes. Stories have even surfaced that copies of Dan Brown’s novel have been publicly burned. I wonder: Wouldn’t that increase sales?

Getting angry about a work of fiction that offends one faith is understandable, but the smart thing to do is exactly what Opus Dei is doing. The organization is using the film to promote its charitable mission. Last Monday, the group held a fund-raiser for Harambee, which is a program supporting various educational opportunities in Africa. It operates a professional training program in Sudan for refugees fleeing the civil war there; a training program in Kenya for faculty in elementary and high school, and a health service program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The reality is that Opus Dei is a group that I could never belong to because I’m just not that great a Catholic. Oh, my faith is strong, but it’s a constant struggle for me to do just the minimum requirement of keeping the Sabbath holy. Opus Dei members strive to achieve spirituality in their daily lives according to Christ’s teachings. They are seriously knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door, while I’m planning for a long stay in purgatory.

Opus Dei members are the people you see doing the corporal works of mercy that Christ asked his followers to do. They feed the hungry and visit the sick and those in prison, etc. They have done this quietly for decades – and now their cover has been blown. That’s really not such a bad thing.

I’ve even learned that Opus Dei does have a member named Silas, but he’s not a murderous albino monk like the one played by Paul Bettany in the film. Instead, he’s a Nigerian stockbroker who lives with his wife in Brooklyn, and he cheerfully suggests that instead of the “Code,” we should go see “Over the Hedge,” an animated adventure about animals that my grandkids are going to enjoy this weekend.

As for those who insist, “It’s just a book, it’s just a movie,” I have to remind them that no one has forbidden the publication of the novel or the making of the film. Dan Brown has every right to write whatever he wants. Ron Howard can direct any movie he likes. This is after all, America, the land of free expression.

I, on the other hand, have the right not to buy the book or see the film.