Dozens of Georgian orthodox Christians gathered outside a packed movie theater in downtown Tbilisi to protest against a screening of The Da Vinci Code on May 18.

The Georgian Orthodox Church called on believers “to refrain” from watching the film one day before The Da Vinci Code was released in Georgia on May 18.

Davit Sharashenidze, a spokesman of the Georgian Orthodox Church said the film “humiliates the religious feelings of Christians.”

Protesters outside the movie theater in Tbilisi held banners reading “watching this film means crucifying Christ a second time.”

Some senior officials from the radical opposition Labor Party have also joined the protest rally.