This Sunday's reading from the First Letter of John encourages its hearers to love one another. There was no love lost between many in the Catholic Church and the producers of the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code, which suggested Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children. But Vatican reviewers gave a surprisingly positive assessment to Angels and Demons, the movie adaptation of another novel by Code author Dan Brown.

L'Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper, described the Ron Howard film, which opens this Friday, as being filled with historical inaccuracies but also said it offers "more than two hours of harmless entertainment, which hardly affects the genius and mystery of Christianity." It characterized the movie as "a videogame that first of all sparks curiosity and is also, maybe, a bit of fun."

The reviewers suggested the church should consider rethinking the way it presents itself in the media rather than regarding the success of Brown's works as a threat: "It would probably be an exaggeration to consider the books an alarm bell. But maybe they should be a stimulus to rethink and refresh the way the church uses the media to explain its positions on today's burning issues."

In Angels and Demons Harvard academic Robert Langdon--played by Tom Hanks in both films--comes to the aid of the church when it is threatened by an ancient cult. "The theme is always the same: a sect versus the church," said L'Osservatore. "This time, the church is on the side of the good guys."

Source: Articles by BBC News and Ariel David for The Huffington Post