Ron Howard is seen with actor Tom Hanks on the set of the movie Angels & Demons in Rome's Piazza del Popolo Square, last June. (Pier Paolo Cito/Associated Press)

Director Ron Howard has posted an online response to criticism that his Angels & Demons movie, based on Dan Brown's bestseller, is anti-Catholic.

In a commentary titled "Angels & Demons: It's a Thriller, Not a Crusade," on the Huffington Post website, the director argues against the claims made by William Donohue of the Catholic League.

League president Donohue is the author of a pamphlet titled "Angels and Demons: More Demonic Than Angelic," which can be bought for $5 US.

In the pamphlet, Donohue accuses the film of being antagonistic toward the Catholic Church as well as dishonest about certain parts of Church history.

The movie is a prequel to The Da Vinci Code and stars Tom Hanks, who reprises his role as Prof. Robert Langdon. In the plot, Langdon teams up with the Catholic Church to thwart an attack against the Vatican.

Howard emphasizes in his posting that neither he "nor Angels & Demons are anti-Catholic."

"I believe Catholics, including most in the hierarchy of the Church, will enjoy the movie for what it is: an exciting mystery, set in the awe-inspiring beauty of Rome."

Respect for Catholic Church

Howard says he has "respect for Catholics and their Church" and knows they have accomplished "many good works throughout the world."

"I believe Angels & Demons treats the Church with respect — even a degree of reverence — for its traditions and beliefs."

The director, whose previous award-winning movies include Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, says he only wished that Donohue had seen the film before going ahead to lambaste it.

"I guess Mr. Donohue and I do have one thing in common: we both like to create fictional tales, as he has done with his silly and mean-spirited work of propaganda."

In a statement on the Catholic League website, Donohue responded to Howard's blog:

"Howard must be delusional if he thinks Vatican officials are going to like his propaganda — they denied him the right to film on their grounds. Moreover, we know from a Canadian priest who hung out with Howard's crew last summer in Rome (dressed in civilian clothes) just how much they hate Catholicism. It's time to stop the lies and come clean."

The movie is due out May 15.