March 16, 2005 THE VATICAN FINALLY took a crack at "The Da Vinci Code" yesterday, claiming the best-selling thriller, soon to become a movie starring Tom Hanks, is a pack of anti-Catholic lies.

Tarcisco Cardinal Bertone, a top cleric who has been mentioned as a possible successor to the Pope, urged Catholics across the world to boycott the novel.

Don't read it, and above all, don't even buy 'The Da Vinci Code,' "Bertone, the archbishop of Genoa, said on Vatican radio.

When it was published in 2003, the book created a frenzy, selling 25 million copies and spawning a mini-industry of spinoffs, tours and even a "Da Vinci" diet. But it also churned up controversy, mostly among Catholics and some Protestants, with its claim that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and sired a bloodline.

So far, Bertone is the highst ranking official to slam author Dan Brown's premise - and he cited it as proof of rampant Catholic bashing.

"Anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice," he said.

"I ask myself if a similar book was written. full of lies about Budda, Muhammed or . . . if a novel came out which manipulated all the history of the Holocaust or of the Shoah, what would have happenend?"

The publisher of the "The Da VinciCode" responded to the critism by pointing out that the book is a work of fiction.

"The ideas put forth in 'The Da Vinci Code' have been circulating for centuries," it said. "Doubleday certainly respects Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican and their desire to clarify any factual errors they feel may have been made in 'The Da Vinci Code.'"

In its quest to rebut the book's claims, the Vatican may need to set its sights on Hollywood next. Director Ron Howard has promised that the film, starring Hanks as sleuthing Prof. Robert Langdon, will be faithful to the novel.

tconnor@nydailynews.com