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 Roman Catholic Church has expressed concerns over the growing popularity of the Twilight movies. And the romantic-drama New Moon, the sequel to last year’s blockbuster Twilght, has come under fire from the Church as well. 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 launched regular attacks on the Harry Potter books and films.