Actor/director Ron Howard, who’s set to release his latest Dan Brown conspiracy chaser film next month, learned something from all the hubbub over “The DaVinci Code”: nip it in the bud.

In an open letter of sorts to Catholic League president Bill Donohue, Howard says neither he, nor his “Angels & Demons” film, are anti-Catholic.

Money quote: “Let me be clear: neither I nor Angels & Demons are anti-Catholic. And let me be a little controversial: 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. After all, in Angels & Demons, Professor Robert Langdon teams up with the Catholic Church to thwart a vicious attack against the Vatican. What, exactly, is anti-Catholic about that? “