Vatican blasts "Golden Compass" as Godless, hopeless

The Vatican newspaper said "honest" viewers would find it "devoid of any particular emotion apart from a great chill."
In the fantasy world created by Pullman's trilogy, 'His Dark Materials', the Church and its governing body the Magisterium, are linked to cruel experiments on children aimed at discovering the nature of sin and attempts to suppress facts that would
undermine the Church's legitimacy and power.
In the film version all references to the Church have been stripped out, with director Chris Weitz keen to avoid offending religious cinema goers.
Still, some Catholic groups in the United States have called for a boycott, fearing even a diluted version of the book might draw people to read the bestselling trilogy.