Earlier projections predict vampire-themed romance The Twilight Saga: New Moon could take a nearly $100 million bite from the box office when it debuts this weekend, scoring one of the biggest openings ever for a non-summer film — but not if the Vatican has anything to say about it.

The romantic-drama, the sequel to last year’s blockbuster Twilght, has come under fire from the Catholic Church. Monsignor Franco Perazzolo, of the Pontifical Council of Culture, describes the film as a “deviant moral vacuum” and has cautioned Christians against seeing it.

“This theme of vampires in Twilight combines a mixture of excesses that as ever is aimed at young people and gives a heavy -esoteric element,” The Daily Express quoted him as saying. “Men and women are transformed with horrible masks and it is once again that age-old trick or ideal formula of using extremes to make an impact at the box office,” he continued.

“This film is nothing more than a moral vacuum with a deviant message and as such is something that should be of concern.”

Twilight, based the book series by author Stephanie Meyer, tells the story of a romance between vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). In the past, the Vatican has also attacked the Harry Potter books and films.