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Opus Dei

January 01, 1970

For other uses, see Opus Dei (disambiguation).

Opus Dei (Work of God) was founded in Spain in 1928 by Catholic priest Josemaría Escrivá. Its stated mission is to help its lay and clerical members to seek Christian perfection in their everyday occupations and within their societies. Opus Dei has long attracted significant controversy regarding its political activities and its alleged cult-like practices.

Opus Dei
Seal of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei
Formation2 October 1928; 95 years ago (1928-10-02)
TypePersonal prelature
PurposeSpreading the universal call to holiness in ordinary life
HeadquartersViale Bruno Buozzi, 73, 00197 Rome, Italy
Coordinates41°55′18″N 12°29′03″E / 41.9218°N 12.4841°E / 41.9218; 12.4841
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
95,318 (2018)[1]
Founder
Fr. Josemaría Escrivá
Fernando Ocáriz Braña
Main organ
General Council
Central Advisory
Parent organization
Catholic Church

Opus Dei is officially recognized within the Catholic Church, though its status has evolved. It received final approval by the Catholic Church in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.[2] Pope Saint John Paul II made it a personal prelature in 1982 by the apostolic constitution Ut sit; that is, the jurisdiction of the Opus Dei's head covers members wherever they are, rather than geographical dioceses.[2]: 1–9  On 14 July 2022, Pope Francis issued the apostolic letter Ad charisma tuendum, which transferred responsibility for the Opus Dei from the Dicastery for Bishops to the Dicastery for the Clergy and decreed that the head of the Opus Dei cannot become a bishop.[3] While Opus Dei has met controversies, it remains influential within the Church.

Lay people make up the majority of its membership; the remainder are secular priests under the governance of a prelate elected by specific members and appointed by the Pope.[4] Opus Dei is Latin for "Work of God"; hence the organization is often referred to by members and supporters as the Work.[5][6]

As of 2018, there are 95,318 members of the Prelature: 93,203 lay persons and 2,115 priests.[1] These figures do not include the diocesan priest members of Opus Dei's Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, estimated to number 2,000 in the year 2005.[7] Members are located in more than 90 countries.[8] About 70% of Opus Dei members live in their own homes, leading family lives with secular careers,[9][10] while the other 30% are celibate, of whom the majority live in Opus Dei centers. Aside from their personal charity and social work, Opus Dei members organize training in Catholic spirituality applied to daily life; members are involved in running universities, university residences, schools, publishing houses, hospitals, and technical and agricultural training centers.

History edit

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Opus Dei.
 
Escrivá surrounded by working people, in a Filipino painting entitled Magpakabanal sa Gawain or "Be holy through your work"

Foundational period edit

Opus Dei was founded by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer on 2 October 1928 in Madrid, Spain. According to Escrivá, on that day he experienced a vision in which he "saw Opus Dei".[11][12] He gave the organization the name "Opus Dei", which in Latin means "Work of God",[13] in order to underscore the belief that the organization was not his (Escrivá's) work, but was rather God's work.[14] Throughout his life, Escrivá held that the founding of Opus Dei had a supernatural character.[15] Escrivá summarized Opus Dei's mission as a way of helping ordinary Christians "to understand that their life... is a way of holiness and evangelization... And to those who grasp this ideal of holiness, the Work offers the spiritual assistance and training they need to put it into practice."[16]

Initially, Opus Dei was open only to men, but in 1930, Escrivá started to admit women, based on what he believed to be a communication from God.[2]: 54  When the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, Escrivá was able to return to Madrid after three years of hiding.[17] Escrivá later recounted that it was in Spain where Opus Dei found "the greatest difficulties" because of "enemies of personal freedom", and traditionalists who he felt misunderstood Opus Dei's ideas.[18] Despite this, Opus Dei grew during the years of the Franquismo, spreading first throughout Spain, and after 1945, expanding internationally.[2][page needed]

In 1939, Escrivá published The Way, a collection of 999 maxims concerning spirituality for people involved in secular affairs.[19] In the 1940s, Opus Dei found an early critic in the Jesuit Superior General Wlodimir Ledóchowski, who told the Vatican that he considered Opus Dei "very dangerous for the Church in Spain," citing its "secretive character" and calling it "a form of Christian Masonry."[20]

In 1947, a year after Escrivá moved the organization's headquarters to Rome, Opus Dei received a decree of praise and approval from Pope Pius XII, making it an institute of "pontifical right", i.e. under the direct governance of the Pope.[2]: 189  In 1950, Pius XII granted definitive approval to Opus Dei, thereby allowing married people to join the organization, and secular clergy to be admitted to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross.[2]: 189 

Several Opus Dei members such as Alberto Ullastres were ministers ("Opusdeistas") under the dictator Franco in Spain (see Opus Dei and politics).[21]

Post-foundational years edit

In 1975, Escrivá died and was succeeded by Álvaro del Portillo. In 1982, Opus Dei was made into a personal prelature. This means that Opus Dei is part of the Catholic Church, and the apostolate of the members falls under the direct jurisdiction of the prelate of Opus Dei wherever they are. As to "what the law lays down for all the ordinary faithful", the lay members of Opus Dei, being no different from other Catholics, "continue to be [...] under the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop", in the words of John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution, Ut Sit.[22]

One-third of the world's bishops sent letters petitioning for the canonization of Escrivá.[23] Escrivá was beatified in 1992 in the midst of controversy prompted by questions about his suitability for sainthood. In 2002, approximately 300,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square on the day Pope John Paul II canonized him.[24][25] According to John L. Allen Jr., "Escrivá is... venerated by millions".[7]

There are other members whose process of beatification has been opened: Ernesto Cofiño, a father of five children and a pioneer in pediatric research in Guatemala;[26] Montserrat Grases, a teenage Catalan student who died of cancer;[27][28] Toni Zweifel, a Swiss engineer;[29][30] Tomás Alvira and wife, Paquita Domínguez, a Spanish married couple;[31] Isidoro Zorzano Ledesma, an Argentinian engineer;[32] Dora del Hoyo, a domestic worker;[33] Fr. José María Hernández Garnica;[32][34] and Father José Luis Múzquiz de Miguel, a Spanish priest who began Opus Dei in the United States.[32]

During the pontificate of John Paul II, two members of Opus Dei, Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne and Julián Herranz Casado, were made cardinals.[35]

In September 2005, Pope Benedict XVI blessed a newly installed statue of Josemaría Escrivá placed in an outside wall niche of St Peter's Basilica, a place for founders of Catholic organizations.[36]

During that same year, Opus Dei received attention due to the success of the novel The Da Vinci Code, in which both Opus Dei and the Catholic Church itself work against the protagonists. The film version was released globally in May 2006, further polarizing views on the organization.[37]

In 2014, Pope Francis through a delegate beatified Álvaro del Portillo and said that "he teaches us that in the simplicity and ordinariness of our life we can find a sure path to holiness.[38]

At the end of 2014, the prelature has been established in 69 countries,[39] while its members are present in 90 countries.[8]

Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, the second prelate of Opus Dei, died on 12 December 2016,[40] and was succeeded by Fernando Ocáriz. He was elected the new prelate of Opus Dei on 23 January 2017, and on the same day was appointed by Pope Francis as such.[41][42]

In 2019, Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri, one of the first women who joined Opus Dei, was beatified in Madrid, Spain. She is the first lay faithful, as well as the first woman, in Opus Dei to be beatified.[43]

In 2005, the first publicly-known sexual abuse case of Opus Dei in the US, against C. John McCloskey, was settled for $977,000.[44] Opus Dei publicly acknowledged a sexual abuse case within the organisation for the first time in its history in July 2020, this one involving priest Manuel Cociña in Spain.[45]

Pope Francis: "Safeguard the charism" edit

On 22 July 2022,[46][47] Pope Francis issued the apostolic letter in the form of a motu proprio Ad charisma tuendum, which seeks to "safeguard the charism," or original foundational spirit; it is "intended to confirm the Prelature of Opus Dei in the authentically charismatic sphere of the Church, specifying its organization in keeping with the witness of the Founder."[3] Among other things, the new disposition decrees that the head of the Opus Dei "shall not be honoured with the episcopal order", but "is granted, by reason of his office, the use of the title of Supernumerary Apostolic Protonotary with the title of Reverend Monsignor and therefore may use the insignia [including heraldic devices] corresponding to this title".[3] It also transfers responsibility for the personal prelature Opus Dei from the Dicastery for Bishops to the Dicastery for the Clergy,[46][47] conforming to the apostolic constitution Praedicate evangelium, and mandates revision of the statutes of the personal prelature to bring them into conformity with these reforms. This reform became effective on 4 August 2022,[47][48][3] and Pope Francis explained that this action was carried out in consultation with canon lawyers of Opus Dei and had no negative connotation for he has very positive sentiments for Opus Dei.[49]

On 8 August 2023 Pope Francis issued a new motu proprio which stated that personal prelatures such as Opus Dei, are "similar to public clerical associations of pontifical law",[50] such as the Community of Saint Martin and the Family of Mary.[51]

Spirituality edit

Doctrine edit

Main article: Teachings of Opus Dei

Opus Dei is an organization of the Catholic Church. As such, it shares the doctrines of the Catholic Church and has "no other teaching than the teaching of the Magisterium of the Holy See", as per the founder.[52]

Opus Dei places emphasis on certain aspects of Catholic doctrine. A central point of focus in Opus Dei's theology is the lives of the Catholic laypeople.[53][54][55] Opus Dei emphasizes the "universal call to holiness": the belief that everyone should aspire to be a saint, as per Jesus' commandment to "Love God with all your heart" (Matthew 22:37)[56] and "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)[57] Opus Dei also teaches that sanctity is within the reach of everyone, given Jesus' teaching that his demands are "easy" and "light," as his divine assistance is assured.[58][59][60]

Opus Dei does not have monks or nuns, and only a minority of its members are priests.[61] Opus Dei emphasizes uniting spiritual life with professional, social, and family life. Members of Opus Dei lead ordinary lives, with traditional families and secular careers,[62] and strive to "sanctify ordinary life". Pope John Paul II called Escrivá "the saint of ordinary life".[63]

 
Fernando Ocariz, present prelate of Opus Dei

Similarly, Opus Dei stresses the importance of work and professional competence.[64][65] Opus Dei exhorts its members and all lay Catholics to "find God in daily life" and to perform their work as a service to society and as an offering to God.[66] Opus Dei teaches that work not only contributes to social progress but is a "path to holiness".[67]

The biblical roots of this Catholic doctrine, according to the founder, are in the phrase "God created man to work" (Genesis 2:15)[68] and Jesus' time as a carpenter in a small town.[69] Escrivá also points to the gospel account that Jesus "has done everything well" (Mark 7:37).[70][71]

The foundation of the Christian life, as stressed by Escrivá, is divine filiation: Christians are children of God, identified with Christ's life and mission. Other main ideals of Opus Dei, according to its official literature, are freedom, respecting choice, taking personal responsibility, charity, and love of God above all and love of others.[62]

At the bottom of Escrivá's understanding of the "universal call to holiness" are two dimensions, subjective and objective, according to Fernando Ocariz, a Catholic theologian and prelate of Opus Dei since 2017. The subjective is the call given to each person to become a saint, regardless of their place in society. The objective refers to what Escrivá calls Christian materialism: all of creation, even the most material situation, is a meeting place with God, and leads to union with him.[7]

Prayers edit

See also: Interior life (Catholic theology)

All members – whether married or unmarried, priests or laypeople – are trained to follow a 'plan of life', or 'the norms of piety', which are traditional Catholic devotions. This is in order to follow the teaching of the Catholic Catechism: "pray at specific times...to nourish continual prayer".[72]

Mortification edit

See also: Mortification of the flesh

Public attention has focused on Opus Dei's practice of mortification. Examples include fasting, "corporal mortifications" such as self-inflicted pain (self-flagellation), sleeping without a pillow or sleeping on the floor, and if compatible with their family or professional duties, remaining silent for certain hours during the day. Mortification has a long history in many world religions, including the Catholic Church. It has been endorsed by popes as a way of 'following Christ', who died of crucifixion and who, speaking of anybody that sought to be his disciple, said: "let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).[73]

Organization and activities edit

Governance edit

Main article: Personal prelature

In Pope John Paul II's 1982 decree known as the Apostolic constitution Ut Sit, Opus Dei was established as a personal prelature, an official structure of the Catholic Church, similar to a diocese in that it contains lay people and secular priests led by a bishop. However, whereas a bishop normally has a territory or diocese, the prelate of Opus Dei is pastor to the members and priests of Opus Dei worldwide, no matter what diocese they are in. Opus Dei is the only personal prelature in existence.[3] In addition to being governed by Ut Sit and by the Catholic Church's general law, Opus Dei is governed by the church's Particular Law concerning Opus Dei, otherwise known as Opus Dei's statutes. This specifies the objectives and workings of the prelature. The prelature is under the Congregation for Bishops.[74][75]

Opus Dei's highest assembled bodies are the General Congresses, which are convened once every eight years. There are separate congresses for the men's and women's branches of Opus Dei. The General Congresses are made up of members appointed by the prelate and are responsible for advising him about the prelature's future. The men's General Congress also elects the prelate from a list of candidates chosen by their female counterparts.[76] After the death of a prelate, a special elective General Congress is convened. The women nominate their preferred candidates for the prelate and is voted upon by the men to become the next prelate—an appointment that must be confirmed by the Pope.[76]

The head of the Opus Dei prelature is known as the prelate.[74] The prelate is the primary governing authority and is assisted by two councils—the General Council (made up of men) and the Central Advisory (made up of women).[77] The prelate holds his position for life. The current prelate of Opus Dei is Fernando Ocáriz Braña, who became the third prelate of Opus Dei on 23 January 2017.[78] The first prelate of Opus Dei was Álvaro del Portillo, who held the position from 1982 until his death in 1994.[79]

Membership edit

As of 2018, the faithful of the Opus Dei Prelature numbered 95,318 members, of which 93,203 are lay persons, men and women, and 2,115 priests.[80] These figures do not include the priest members of Opus Dei's Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, estimated to number 2,000 in the year 2005.[7][page needed]

About 60 percent of Opus Dei faithful reside in Europe, and 35 percent reside in the Americas.[81] Women comprise 57% of the total membership.[82] According to the study of John Allen, for the most part, Opus Dei faithful belong to the middle to low levels in society in terms of education, income, and social status.[83]

Opus Dei is made up of several different types of faithful.[9] According to the Statutes of Opus Dei,[84] the distinction derives from the degree to which they make themselves available for the official activities of the Prelature and for giving formation according to the spirit of Opus Dei.[85]

Supernumeraries, the largest type, currently account for about 70% of the total membership.[86] Typically, supernumeraries are married men and women with careers. Supernumeraries devote a portion of their day to prayer, in addition to attending regular meetings and taking part in activities such as retreats. Due to their career and family obligations, supernumeraries are not as available to the organization as the other types of faithful, but typically contribute financially and lend other types of assistance as their circumstances permit.[87]

Numeraries, the second largest type of the faithful of Opus Dei, comprise about 20% of the total membership.[86] Numeraries are celibate members who give themselves in "full availability" (plena disponibilitas) for the official undertakings of the Prelature.[88] This includes full availability for giving doctrinal and ascetical formation to other members, for staffing the internal government of Opus Dei if asked by the regional directors, and for moving to other countries to start or help with apostolic activities if asked by the prelate.[89] Numeraries are expected to live in gender-specific centers run by Opus Dei,[90] and the question of which particular center a numerary will live in depends upon the regional needs.[91] "Numerary" is a general term for persons who form part of the permanent staff of an organization. It is considered very important for numeraries to participate in daily meals and "get-togethers" in which the sharing of news and conversation takes place.[92] Numeraries generally have jobs outside of Opus Dei, although some are asked to work internally full-time, and thus change their professional goals in order to be available for the Prelature. The majority of numerary income is contributed to the organization.[93]

Numerary assistants are a type of numerary that exists in the Women's Branch of Opus Dei. Their full availability for the Prelature is lived out as full availability for doing a specific type of work, namely looking after the domestic needs of conference and residential centers of Opus Dei.[94] Assistants live in centers run by Opus Dei and do not have jobs outside said centers.

Associates are celibate faithful who take on one or more apostolic assignment(s) from the Prelature in giving doctrinal and ascetical formation and/or coordinating activities.[95] They differ from numeraries in not making themselves "fully" available to staff the official undertakings of the Prelature, instead giving themselves in additional social realities, such as through their profession or to their own families.[93] Because of this difference in availability for the official activities of Opus Dei, unlike numeraries the associates do not live in Opus Dei centers but maintain their own abodes.[95]

Only ordained clergymen are recognized members of the personal prelature by the Catholic church, per canon law. Laymen, such as numeraries, have no recognized status by the Catholic Church, as confirmed by the Vicar General Mariano Fazio.[96][97]

The Clergy of the Opus Dei Prelature are priests who are under the jurisdiction of the prelate of Opus Dei. They are a minority in Opus Dei that makes up about 2% of Opus Dei members.[86]

The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross consists of priests associated with Opus Dei. Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature—priests who fall under the jurisdiction of the Opus Dei prelature are automatically members of the Priestly Society. Other members in the society are diocesan priests—clergymen who remain under the jurisdiction of a geographically defined diocese. These priests are considered full members of Opus Dei who are given its spiritual training. They do not, however, report to the Opus Dei prelate but to their own diocesan bishop.[98] As of 2005, there were roughly two thousand of these priests.[7][page needed]

The Cooperators of Opus Dei are non-members who collaborate in some way with Opus Dei—usually through praying, charitable contributions, or by providing some other assistance. Cooperators are not required to be celibate or to adhere to any other special requirements, and are not even required to be Christian.[98] There were 164,000 cooperators in the year 2005.[7][page needed]

In accordance with Catholic theology, membership is granted when a vocation or divine calling is presumed to have occurred.[99]

Activities edit

Main article: Opus Dei in society

Leaders of Opus Dei describe the organization as a teaching entity whose main activity is to train Catholics to assume personal responsibility in sanctifying the secular world from within.[13][100] This teaching is done by means of theory and practice.[101]

Its lay people and priests organize seminars, workshops, retreats, and classes to help people put the Christian faith into practice in their daily lives. Spiritual direction, one-on-one coaching with a more experienced lay person or priest, is considered the "paramount means" of training. Through these activities, they provide religious instruction (doctrinal formation), coaching in spirituality for lay people (spiritual formation), character and moral education (human formation), lessons in sanctifying one's work (professional formation), and know-how in evangelizing one's family and workplace (apostolic formation).

 
Central building of the University of Navarra

The official Catholic document, which established the prelature, states that Opus Dei strives "to put into practice the teaching of the universal call to sanctity, and to promote at all levels of society the sanctification of ordinary work, and by means of ordinary work."[74] Thus, the founder and his followers describe members of Opus Dei as resembling the members of the early Christian Church—ordinary workers who seriously sought holiness with nothing exterior to distinguish them from other citizens.[13][102][103]

Opus Dei runs residential centers throughout the world. These centers provide residential housing for celibate members and provide doctrinal and theological education. Opus Dei is also responsible for a variety of non-profit institutions called "Corporate Works of Opus Dei."[104] A study of the year 2005 showed that members have cooperated with other people in setting up a total of 608 social initiatives: schools and university residences (68%), technical or agricultural training centers (26%), universities, business schools, and hospitals (6%).[7] The University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and the Austral University in Buenos Aires, Argentina, are both examples of the corporate work of Opus Dei. These universities usually perform very high in international rankings. IESE, the University of Navarra's Business School, was adjudged one of the best in the world by the Financial Times and the Economist Intelligence Unit.[105] The total assets of non-profits connected to Opus Dei are worth at least $2.8 billion.[106]

Relations with Catholic leaders edit

Main article: Opus Dei and Catholic Church leaders

Leopoldo Eijo y Garay, the bishop of Madrid, where Opus Dei was born, supported Opus Dei and defended it in the 1940s by saying that "this opus is truly Dei" (this work is truly God's). Contrary to attacks of secrecy and heresy, the bishop described Opus Dei's founder as someone who was "open as a child" and "most obedient to the Church hierarchy."[107]

 
Pope John Paul II: Opus Dei was founded "led by divine inspiration".

In the 1950s, Pope Pius XII told the most senior Australian bishop, Cardinal Norman Gilroy, that Escrivá "is a true saint, a man sent by God for our times".[108] Pius XII gave Opus Dei the canonical status of "pontifical right", an institution depending directly and exclusively on the Vatican in its internal governance.[109]

In 1960, Pope John XXIII commented that Opus Dei opens up "unsuspected horizons of apostolate".[110] Furthermore, in 1964, Pope Paul VI praised the organization in a handwritten letter to Escrivá, saying:

Opus Dei is "a vigorous expression of the perennial youth of the Church, fully open to the demands of a modern apostolate... We look with paternal satisfaction on all that Opus Dei has achieved and is achieving for the kingdom of God, the desire of doing good that guides it, the burning love for the Church and its visible head that distinguishes it, and the ardent zeal for souls that impels it along the arduous and difficult paths of the apostolate of presence and witness in every sector of contemporary life."[110]

The relationship between Paul VI and Opus Dei, according to Alberto Moncada, a doctor of sociology and ex-member, was "stormy."[111] After the Second Vatican Council concluded in 1965, Pope Paul VI denied Opus Dei's petition to become a personal prelature, Moncada stated.[112]

Pope John Paul I, a few years before his election, wrote that Escrivá was more radical than other saints who taught about the universal call to holiness. While others emphasized monastic spirituality applied to lay people, Escrivá "it is the material work itself which must be turned into prayer and sanctity," thus providing a lay spirituality.[113]

Criticisms against Opus Dei have prompted Catholic scholars and writers like Piers Paul Read[114] and Vittorio Messori to call Opus Dei a sign of contradiction, in reference to the biblical quote of Jesus as a "sign that is spoken against".[115] John Carmel Heenan, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster said "One of the proofs of God's favor is to be a sign of contradiction. Almost all founders of societies in the Church have suffered. Monsignor Escrivá de Balaguer is no exception. Opus Dei has been attacked, and its motives misunderstood. In this country and elsewhere, an inquiry has always vindicated Opus Dei."[116]

One of Opus Dei's most prominent supporters was Pope John Paul II.[117] John Paul II cited Opus Dei's aim of sanctifying secular activities as a "great ideal." He emphasized that Escrivá's founding of Opus Dei was ductus divina inspiratione, led by divine inspiration, and he granted the organization its status as a personal prelature.[118] Stating that Escrivá is "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity," John Paul II canonized him in 2002 and called him "the saint of ordinary life."[119] Of the organization, John Paul II said:

[Opus Dei] has as its aim the sanctification of one's life, while remaining within the world at one's place of work and profession: to live the Gospel in the world, while living immersed in the world, but in order to transform it, and to redeem it with one's personal love for Christ. This is truly a great ideal, which right from the beginning has anticipated the theology of the lay state of the Second Vatican Council and the post-conciliar period.[120]

One-third of the world's bishops petitioned for the canonization of Escrivá. During the canonization, there were 42 cardinals and 470 bishops from around the world, generals superior of many religious institutes, and representatives of various Catholic groups. During those days, these church officials commented on the universal reach and validity of the message of the founder.[83] For his canonization homily, John Paul II said: With the teachings of St. Josemaría, "it is easier to understand what the Second Vatican Council affirmed: 'there is no question, then, of the Christian message inhibiting men from building up the world ... on the contrary, it is an incentive to do these very things' (Vatican II, Gaudium et spes, n. 34)."[121]

Concerning the group's role in the Catholic Church, critics have argued that Opus Dei's unique status as a personal prelature gives it too much independence, making it essentially a "church within a church" and that Opus Dei exerts a disproportionately large influence within the Catholic Church itself,[122] as illustrated, for example, by the rapid canonization of Escrivá, which some considered to be irregular (27 years).[123] In contrast, Catholic officials say that church authorities have even greater control of Opus Dei now that its head is a prelate appointed by the Pope,[124] and its status as a prelature "precisely means dependence."[125] Allen says that Escrivá's relatively quick canonization does not have anything to do with power but with improvements in procedures and John Paul II's decision to make Escrivá's sanctity and message known. The canonizations of John Paul II himself and Mother Teresa were much faster than Escrivá's.[7]

 
Pope Francis: "St. Josemaria is a precursor of Vatican II in proposing the universal call to holiness"[126]

Pope Benedict XVI has been a particularly strong supporter of Opus Dei and of Escrivá. Pointing to the name "Work of God," Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) wrote that "The Lord simply made use of [Escrivá] who allowed God to work." Ratzinger cited Escrivá for correcting the mistaken idea that holiness is reserved for some extraordinary people who are completely different from ordinary sinners: Even if he can be very weak, with many mistakes in his life, a saint is nothing other than to speak with God as a friend speaks with a friend, allowing God to work, the Only One who can really make the world both good and happy.

Ratzinger spoke of Opus Dei's "surprising union of absolute fidelity to the Church's great tradition, to its faith, and unconditional openness to all the challenges of this world, whether in the academic world, in the field of work, or in matters of the economy, etc."[14] He further explained:

the theocentrism of Escrivá ... means this confidence in the fact that God is working now and we ought only to put ourselves at his disposal ... This, for me, is a message of greatest importance. It is a message that leads to overcoming what could be considered the great temptation of our times: the pretense that after the 'Big Bang' God retired from history.[14]

Pope Francis is "the first Pope who has dealt with Opus Dei closely as a bishop,"[127] and according to James V. Schall, S.J., is a "friend of Opus Dei".[128] Francis referred to St. Josemaria as "a precursor of Vatican II in proposing the universal call to holiness."[126] In the analysis of John Allen, Pope Francis' strong dislike for clericalism, which he calls "one of the worst evils" in the church, is a key factor for "what Francis admires about Opus Dei since Escrivá’s emphasis on the dignity of the laity was a challenge to the ultra-clerical ethos of Spanish Catholicism in the late 1920s."[129] He has a devotion to St. Josemaria,[130] and he prayed before his relics for 45 minutes when he once visited the church of the prelature in Rome.[131] Francis beatified Alvaro del Portillo, the successor of Escrivá.[38] What Bergoglio most liked about Opus Dei was the work done for the poor by one of its schools in Buenos Aires.[132] He thanks Opus Dei for its work to further the holiness of priests in the Roman Curia.[127]

Controversy edit

Main article: Controversies about Opus Dei

Throughout its history, Opus Dei has been criticized from many quarters, prompting journalists to describe Opus Dei as "the most controversial force in the Catholic Church" and founder Josemaría Escrivá as a "polarizing" figure.[7][133][134] Criticism of Opus Dei has centered on allegations of secretiveness,[13] controversial and aggressive recruiting methods, strict rules governing members, elitism and misogyny,[135] and support of or participation in authoritarian or right-wing governments, including the fascist Franco regime which governed in Spain until 1978.[112] The mortification of the flesh practiced by some of its members is also criticized. Opus Dei has also been criticized for allegedly seeking independence and more influence within the Catholic Church.[122]

However, according to several journalists who have researched Opus Dei separately, many criticisms against Opus Dei are based on fabrications by opponents.[7][136][133][83][137]

In recent years, Opus Dei has received international attention due to the novel The Da Vinci Code and its film version of 2006, both of which prominent Christians and others criticized as misleading, inaccurate and anti-Catholic.[138][139][140][141]

Critics such as the Jesuit Wladimir Ledóchowski refer to Opus Dei as a Catholic, Christian, or white form of Freemasonry.[142][143][144][145][146]

Supporting views edit

According to several journalists who have worked independently on Opus Dei, such as John L. Allen Jr.,[7] Vittorio Messori,[83] Patrice de Plunkett,[137] Maggy Whitehouse,[136] and Noam Friedlander,[133] many of the criticisms against Opus Dei are myths and unproven tales. Allen, Messori, and Plunkett say that most of these myths were created by its opponents, with Allen adding that he perceives that Opus Dei members generally practice what they preach.[147][148]

 
Opus Dei central headquarters in Rome

Allen, Messori, and Plunkett also state that accusations that Opus Dei is secretive are unfounded. These accusations stem from a clerical paradigm which expects Opus Dei members to behave as monks and clerics, people who are traditionally known and externally identifiable as seekers of holiness. In contrast, these journalists continue, Opus Dei's lay members, like any normal Catholic professional, are ultimately responsible for their personal actions, and do not externally represent the organization which provides them religious education.[citation needed] Writer and broadcast analyst John L. Allen Jr. states that Opus Dei provides abundant information about itself. These journalists have stated that the historic roots of criticisms against Opus Dei can be found in influential clerical circles.[83][149]

As to its alleged participation in right-wing politics, especially the Francoist regime, British historians Paul Preston and Brian Crozier state that the Opus Dei members who were Franco's ministers were appointed for their talent and not for their Opus Dei membership.[150][page needed][151][152][page needed] Also, there were notable members of Opus Dei who were vocal critics of the Franco regime such as Rafael Calvo Serer and Antonio Fontán, who was the first President of the Senate in Spain, following the adoption of a democratic Constitution. The German historian and Opus Dei member Peter Berglar calls any connection made between Opus Dei and Franco's regime a "gross slander".[2] At the end of Franco's regime, Opus Dei members were 50:50 for and against Franco, according to John Allen.[7][page needed] Similarly Álvaro del Portillo, the former prelate of Opus Dei, said that any statements that Escrivá supported Hitler were "a patent falsehood" that were part of "a slanderous campaign".[153] He and others have stated that Escrivá condemned Hitler as a "rogue", a "racist" and a "tyrant".[154] Opus Dei spokespersons also deny claims that Opus Dei members worked with General Pinochet.[133] Various authors and researchers state that Escrivá was staunchly non-political, and detested dictatorships.[83][155] Allen wrote that, compared with other Catholic organizations, Opus Dei's stress on freedom and personal responsibility is extraordinarily strong.[7] There are many Opus Dei members who are identified with center or left-wing politics, including Ruth Kelly, Jorge Rossi Chavarría, Mario Fernández Baeza, Mario Maiolo, and Jesus Estanislao.[156]

While Opus Dei spokespersons have admitted mistakes in dealing with some members and do not, as a rule, contest their grievances,[106][157] supporters have rejected generalizations merely based on negative experiences of some members.[158]

Opus Dei is not "elitist" in the sense in which people often invoke the term, meaning an exclusively white-collar phenomenon, concluded John Allen. He observed that among its members are barbers, bricklayers, mechanics and fruit sellers. Most supernumeraries are living ordinary middle-class lives, he said.[7][page needed]

Regarding alleged misogyny, John Allen states that half of the leadership positions in Opus Dei are held by women, and they supervise men.[159]

As regards the claim that religious people in Spain, including Opus Dei members, were involved in the abduction of children during the Franco era, an investigation found that DNA analysis of 81 cases ruled out that they were stolen babies.[160] The supreme court of Spain did not consider the first case of stolen babies to be proven,[161] and the chief prosecutor of the Basque Country, said that "not even reasonable evidence" of any abduction of babies had been found, after special investigations of the police.[162]

Criticism edit

Critics of Opus Dei include María del Carmen Tapia, an ex-member who was a high-ranking officer of Opus Dei for many years;[163] liberal Catholic theologians such as Fr. James Martin, a Jesuit writer and editor; and supporters of liberation theology, such as journalist Penny Lernoux and Michael Walsh, a writer on religious matters and former Jesuit.[86][164]

Critics state that Opus Dei is "intensely secretive"—for example, members generally do not disclose their affiliation with Opus Dei in public. Further, under the 1950 constitution, members were expressly forbidden to reveal themselves without the permission of their superiors.[13] This practice has led to much speculation about who may be a member.[13] Due in part to its secrecy, the Jesuit-run magazine America referred to it as "the most controversial group in the Catholic Church today".[165]

Opus Dei has been accused of deceptive and aggressive recruitment practices,[165] such as showering potential members with intense praise ("love bombing"),[166][unreliable source?][167] and instructing numeraries to form friendships and attend social gatherings explicitly for recruiting purposes.[93]

Critics allege that Opus Dei maintains an extremely high degree of control over its members—for instance, past rules required numeraries to submit their incoming and outgoing mail to their superiors for inspection, and members are forbidden to read certain books without permission from their superiors.[166] Critics charge that Opus Dei pressures numeraries to sever contact with non-members, including their own families.[166] Exit counselor David Clark has described Opus Dei as "very cult-like".[166]

 
Antonio Fontán, Spanish journalist and member of Opus Dei who fought for the freedom of press and democracy during Franco's regime. He was persecuted by Franco and was elected as the first President of the Senate once democracy was restored.

Critics assert that Escrivá and the organization supported radical right-wing governments, such as those of Franco, Augusto Pinochet[168][169][full citation needed] and Alberto Fujimori[170] of Peru during the 1990s.[171] Both Pinochet's and Fujimori's ministries and prominent supporters allegedly included members of Opus Dei, but there are also prominent Opus Dei members in parties that opposed those governments. Likewise, among Opus Dei members there were also strong detractors of Franco, such as Antonio Fontán. There have also been allegations that Escrivá expressed sympathy for Adolf Hitler.[172][173] One former Opus Dei priest, Vladimir Felzmann, who has become a vocal Opus Dei critic, says that Escrivá once remarked that Hitler had been "badly treated" by the world and he further declared that "Hitler couldn't have been such a bad person. He couldn't have killed six million [Jews]. It couldn't have been more than four million."[174][175][176]

Opus Dei has also been accused of elitism through targeting of "the intellectual elite, the well-to-do, and the socially prominent".[177]

As members of Opus Dei are Catholics, Opus Dei has been subjected to the same criticisms targeted to Catholicism in general. For example, Opus Dei's position has been "to oppose sexual freedoms and promote conservative morals", according to an investigative report produced by the advocacy group Catholics for Choice.[178] The report further cites a study from sociologist Marco Burgos alleging Opus Dei interference in sex education programs in Honduras that contradict the Catholic faith.[179]

Between 1950 and 1980, as many as 300,000 illegal adoptions occurred in Spain in a scandal known as the lost children of Francoism.[180] Many Catholic clergy and religious sisters at church-sponsored hospitals or other charitable organizations in Spain are alleged to have been involved, including members of Opus Dei.[181]

The Opus Dei organisation has been described as a "Holy Mafia" or "Santa Mafia" in the 1970s due to alleged "inscrutable business practices".[21][182]

After conducting a critical study of Opus Dei, Catholic journalist John L. Allen Jr. concluded that Opus Dei should (1) be more transparent, (2) collaborate with members of religious institutes, and (3) encourage its members to air out in public their criticisms of the institution.[7]

An article published by the Financial Times in March 2024 accused Opus Dei of practices akin to modern slavery.[183] The piece draws on testimony from 16 women who served as Numerary Assistants over several decades in several countries. They report having been "coerced into domestic servitude ... through a rigid system of psychological control".[183]

Other views edit

Sociologists Peter Berger and Samuel Huntington suggest that Opus Dei is involved in "a deliberate attempt to construct an alternative modernity," one that engages modern culture while at the same time is resolutely loyal to Catholic traditions.[184] Van Biema of Time magazine emphasises Opus Dei's Spanish roots as a source of misunderstandings in the Anglo-Saxon world, and suggests that as the United States becomes more Hispanic, controversies about Opus Dei (and similar Catholic organizations) will decrease.[13]

In her 2006 book on Opus Dei, Maggy Whitehouse, a non-Catholic journalist, argues that the relative autonomy of each director and center has resulted in mistakes at the local level. She recommends greater consistency and transparency for Opus Dei, which she sees as having learned the lesson of greater openness when it faced the issues raised by The Da Vinci Code and other critics.[136]

See also edit

Footnotes edit

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Further reading edit

Main article: Opus Dei: Bibliography
  • Allen, John, Jr. (2005). Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church, Doubleday Religion. ISBN 0-385-51449-2 – Interview: The Word From Rome December 16, 2005. Online excerpts: Opus Dei: An Introduction 17 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Chapter I: A Quick Overview of Opus Dei,
  • Berglar, Peter (1994). Opus Dei. Life and Work of its Founder. Scepter. – online here [1]
  • Coverdale, John F. (2010). Putting Down Roots: Father Joseph Muzquiz and the Growth of Opus Dei, 1912–1983. New York: Scepter Publishers. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-59417-081-2.
  • De Plunkett, Patrice (2006). L'Opus Dei : enquête sur le "monstre". Presses de la Renaissance
  • E.B.E – "Opus Dei as divine revelation" (2016, 576 pages). An historical and theological study by a former member. It includes unpublished historical documents (the Regulations of 1941, several letters of Escrivá to Franco, documents about Escrivá's request for being appointed bishop, etc.). ISBN 978-1523318889 (paperback) and ASIN B01D5MNGD2 (ebook – Amazon). Online Preview on Amazon website here [2]
  • Estruch, Joan (1995), Saints and Schemers: Opus Dei and its paradoxes. Oxford University Press – trans. of L'Opus Dei i les seves paradoxes (in Catalan) – online Spanish version here Opus Dei: Santos y pillos. Índice
  • Friedlander, Noam (2005). "What Is Opus Dei? Tales of God, Blood, Money and Faith" Collins & Brown. ISBN 978-1-84340-288-6. – a book review titled "A Wholesome Reality Hides Behind A Dark Conspiracy"
  • Hahn, Scott (2006). Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace: My Spiritual Journey in Opus Dei. Random House Doubleday Religion. ISBN 978-0-385-51924-3 – online excerpt of Chapter One here [3]
  • John Paul II. Sacred Congregation for Bishops. (23 August 1982). Vatican Declaration on Opus Dei. – online here
  • Luciani, Albino (John Paul I) (25 July 1978). "Seeking God through everyday work". Il Gazzettino Venice. – online here
  • Martin, James, S.J. (25 February 1995). "Opus Dei in the United States". America Magazine. – online here
  • Messori, Vittorio (1997). Opus Dei, Leadership and Vision in Today's Catholic Church. Regnery Publishing. ISBN 0-89526-450-1. – online version here [5]
  • O'Connor, William. Opus Dei: An Open Book. A Reply to "The Secret World of Opus Dei" by Michael Walsh, Mercier Press, Dublin, 1991 – online here
  • Oates, MT, et al. (2009). Women of Opus Dei: In Their Own Words. Crossroad Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8245-2425-X.
  • Ratzinger, Joseph (Benedict XVI) (9 October 2002). "St. Josemaria: God is very much at work in our world today". L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English, p. 3. – online here [6]
  • Schall, James, S.J. (Aug–September 1996). "Of Saintly Timber". Homiletic and Pastoral Review. – review of Estruch's work, online here [7] [permanent dead link]
  • Shaw, Russel (1994). Ordinary Christians in the World. Office of Communications, Prelature of Opus Dei in the US. – online here [8] 16 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  • Walsh, Michael (1989). Opus Dei: An Investigation Into the Secret Society Struggling For Power Within the Catholic Church. New York: HarperSanFrancisco. pp. 230 w/Index. ISBN 0-06-069268-5.
  • 1982 Statutes of Opus Dei—Latin and English (unauthorized translation)
  • Dominique Le Tourneau (2002). What Is Opus Dei?. Gracewing. ISBN 0-85244-136-3.—a French scholar's synthesis, himself a member of the Opus Dei.
  • Giuseppe Romano (1995). Opus Dei: Who? How? Why?. Alba House. ISBN 0-8189-0739-8.—a study of an Italian essayist
  • Jean-Jacques Thierry (1975). Opus Dei: A Close Up. Cortland Press.—the first serious study on Opus Dei to be published, written by a French journalist

External links edit

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Opus Dei.

Opus Dei official sites edit

  • Official website
  • The founder of Opus Dei: Official Site
  • Writings of the founder of Opus Dei
  • YouTube Channel – Opus Dei
  • YouTube Channel – St. Josemaria

January 01, 1970
opus, other, uses, disambiguation, major, contributor, this, article, appears, have, close, connection, with, subject, require, cleanup, comply, with, wikipedia, content, policies, particularly, neutral, point, view, please, discuss, further, talk, page, july,. For other uses see Opus Dei disambiguation A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia s content policies particularly neutral point of view Please discuss further on the talk page July 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Opus Dei Work of God was founded in Spain in 1928 by Catholic priest Josemaria Escriva Its stated mission is to help its lay and clerical members to seek Christian perfection in their everyday occupations and within their societies Opus Dei has long attracted significant controversy regarding its political activities and its alleged cult like practices Opus DeiSeal of the Holy Cross and Opus DeiFormation2 October 1928 95 years ago 1928 10 02 TypePersonal prelaturePurposeSpreading the universal call to holiness in ordinary lifeHeadquartersViale Bruno Buozzi 73 00197 Rome ItalyCoordinates41 55 18 N 12 29 03 E 41 9218 N 12 4841 E 41 9218 12 4841Region servedWorldwideMembership95 318 2018 1 FounderFr Josemaria EscrivaPrelateFernando Ocariz BranaMain organGeneral CouncilCentral AdvisoryParent organizationCatholic Church Opus Dei is officially recognized within the Catholic Church though its status has evolved It received final approval by the Catholic Church in 1950 by Pope Pius XII 2 Pope Saint John Paul II made it a personal prelature in 1982 by the apostolic constitution Ut sit that is the jurisdiction of the Opus Dei s head covers members wherever they are rather than geographical dioceses 2 1 9 On 14 July 2022 Pope Francis issued the apostolic letter Ad charisma tuendum which transferred responsibility for the Opus Dei from the Dicastery for Bishops to the Dicastery for the Clergy and decreed that the head of the Opus Dei cannot become a bishop 3 While Opus Dei has met controversies it remains influential within the Church Lay people make up the majority of its membership the remainder are secular priests under the governance of a prelate elected by specific members and appointed by the Pope 4 Opus Dei is Latin for Work of God hence the organization is often referred to by members and supporters as the Work 5 6 As of 2018 there are 95 318 members of the Prelature 93 203 lay persons and 2 115 priests 1 These figures do not include the diocesan priest members of Opus Dei s Priestly Society of the Holy Cross estimated to number 2 000 in the year 2005 7 Members are located in more than 90 countries 8 About 70 of Opus Dei members live in their own homes leading family lives with secular careers 9 10 while the other 30 are celibate of whom the majority live in Opus Dei centers Aside from their personal charity and social work Opus Dei members organize training in Catholic spirituality applied to daily life members are involved in running universities university residences schools publishing houses hospitals and technical and agricultural training centers Contents 1 History 1 1 Foundational period 1 2 Post foundational years 1 2 1 Pope Francis Safeguard the charism 2 Spirituality 2 1 Doctrine 2 2 Prayers 2 3 Mortification 3 Organization and activities 3 1 Governance 3 2 Membership 3 3 Activities 4 Relations with Catholic leaders 5 Controversy 5 1 Supporting views 5 2 Criticism 5 3 Other views 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 Further reading 9 External links 9 1 Opus Dei official sitesHistory editFor a chronological guide see Timeline of Opus Dei nbsp Escriva surrounded by working people in a Filipino painting entitled Magpakabanal sa Gawain or Be holy through your work Foundational period edit This section cites its sources but does not provide page references You can help providing page numbers for existing citations September 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message This section relies excessively on references to primary sources Please improve this section by adding secondary or tertiary sources Find sources Opus Dei news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Opus Dei was founded by Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer on 2 October 1928 in Madrid Spain According to Escriva on that day he experienced a vision in which he saw Opus Dei 11 12 He gave the organization the name Opus Dei which in Latin means Work of God 13 in order to underscore the belief that the organization was not his Escriva s work but was rather God s work 14 Throughout his life Escriva held that the founding of Opus Dei had a supernatural character 15 Escriva summarized Opus Dei s mission as a way of helping ordinary Christians to understand that their life is a way of holiness and evangelization And to those who grasp this ideal of holiness the Work offers the spiritual assistance and training they need to put it into practice 16 Initially Opus Dei was open only to men but in 1930 Escriva started to admit women based on what he believed to be a communication from God 2 54 When the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939 Escriva was able to return to Madrid after three years of hiding 17 Escriva later recounted that it was in Spain where Opus Dei found the greatest difficulties because of enemies of personal freedom and traditionalists who he felt misunderstood Opus Dei s ideas 18 Despite this Opus Dei grew during the years of the Franquismo spreading first throughout Spain and after 1945 expanding internationally 2 page needed In 1939 Escriva published The Way a collection of 999 maxims concerning spirituality for people involved in secular affairs 19 In the 1940s Opus Dei found an early critic in the Jesuit Superior General Wlodimir Ledochowski who told the Vatican that he considered Opus Dei very dangerous for the Church in Spain citing its secretive character and calling it a form of Christian Masonry 20 In 1947 a year after Escriva moved the organization s headquarters to Rome Opus Dei received a decree of praise and approval from Pope Pius XII making it an institute of pontifical right i e under the direct governance of the Pope 2 189 In 1950 Pius XII granted definitive approval to Opus Dei thereby allowing married people to join the organization and secular clergy to be admitted to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross 2 189 Several Opus Dei members such as Alberto Ullastres were ministers Opusdeistas under the dictator Franco in Spain see Opus Dei and politics 21 Post foundational years edit In 1975 Escriva died and was succeeded by Alvaro del Portillo In 1982 Opus Dei was made into a personal prelature This means that Opus Dei is part of the Catholic Church and the apostolate of the members falls under the direct jurisdiction of the prelate of Opus Dei wherever they are As to what the law lays down for all the ordinary faithful the lay members of Opus Dei being no different from other Catholics continue to be under the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop in the words of John Paul II s Apostolic Constitution Ut Sit 22 One third of the world s bishops sent letters petitioning for the canonization of Escriva 23 Escriva was beatified in 1992 in the midst of controversy prompted by questions about his suitability for sainthood In 2002 approximately 300 000 people gathered in St Peter s Square on the day Pope John Paul II canonized him 24 25 According to John L Allen Jr Escriva is venerated by millions 7 There are other members whose process of beatification has been opened Ernesto Cofino a father of five children and a pioneer in pediatric research in Guatemala 26 Montserrat Grases a teenage Catalan student who died of cancer 27 28 Toni Zweifel a Swiss engineer 29 30 Tomas Alvira and wife Paquita Dominguez a Spanish married couple 31 Isidoro Zorzano Ledesma an Argentinian engineer 32 Dora del Hoyo a domestic worker 33 Fr Jose Maria Hernandez Garnica 32 34 and Father Jose Luis Muzquiz de Miguel a Spanish priest who began Opus Dei in the United States 32 During the pontificate of John Paul II two members of Opus Dei Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne and Julian Herranz Casado were made cardinals 35 In September 2005 Pope Benedict XVI blessed a newly installed statue of Josemaria Escriva placed in an outside wall niche of St Peter s Basilica a place for founders of Catholic organizations 36 During that same year Opus Dei received attention due to the success of the novel The Da Vinci Code in which both Opus Dei and the Catholic Church itself work against the protagonists The film version was released globally in May 2006 further polarizing views on the organization 37 In 2014 Pope Francis through a delegate beatified Alvaro del Portillo and said that he teaches us that in the simplicity and ordinariness of our life we can find a sure path to holiness 38 At the end of 2014 the prelature has been established in 69 countries 39 while its members are present in 90 countries 8 Javier Echevarria Rodriguez the second prelate of Opus Dei died on 12 December 2016 40 and was succeeded by Fernando Ocariz He was elected the new prelate of Opus Dei on 23 January 2017 and on the same day was appointed by Pope Francis as such 41 42 In 2019 Guadalupe Ortiz de Landazuri one of the first women who joined Opus Dei was beatified in Madrid Spain She is the first lay faithful as well as the first woman in Opus Dei to be beatified 43 In 2005 the first publicly known sexual abuse case of Opus Dei in the US against C John McCloskey was settled for 977 000 44 Opus Dei publicly acknowledged a sexual abuse case within the organisation for the first time in its history in July 2020 this one involving priest Manuel Cocina in Spain 45 Pope Francis Safeguard the charism edit On 22 July 2022 46 47 Pope Francis issued the apostolic letter in the form of a motu proprio Ad charisma tuendum which seeks to safeguard the charism or original foundational spirit it is intended to confirm the Prelature of Opus Dei in the authentically charismatic sphere of the Church specifying its organization in keeping with the witness of the Founder 3 Among other things the new disposition decrees that the head of the Opus Dei shall not be honoured with the episcopal order but is granted by reason of his office the use of the title of Supernumerary Apostolic Protonotary with the title of Reverend Monsignor and therefore may use the insignia including heraldic devices corresponding to this title 3 It also transfers responsibility for the personal prelature Opus Dei from the Dicastery for Bishops to the Dicastery for the Clergy 46 47 conforming to the apostolic constitution Praedicate evangelium and mandates revision of the statutes of the personal prelature to bring them into conformity with these reforms This reform became effective on 4 August 2022 47 48 3 and Pope Francis explained that this action was carried out in consultation with canon lawyers of Opus Dei and had no negative connotation for he has very positive sentiments for Opus Dei 49 On 8 August 2023 Pope Francis issued a new motu proprio which stated that personal prelatures such as Opus Dei are similar to public clerical associations of pontifical law 50 such as the Community of Saint Martin and the Family of Mary 51 Spirituality editDoctrine edit Main article Teachings of Opus Dei Opus Dei is an organization of the Catholic Church As such it shares the doctrines of the Catholic Church and has no other teaching than the teaching of the Magisterium of the Holy See as per the founder 52 Opus Dei places emphasis on certain aspects of Catholic doctrine A central point of focus in Opus Dei s theology is the lives of the Catholic laypeople 53 54 55 Opus Dei emphasizes the universal call to holiness the belief that everyone should aspire to be a saint as per Jesus commandment to Love God with all your heart Matthew 22 37 56 and Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect Matthew 5 48 57 Opus Dei also teaches that sanctity is within the reach of everyone given Jesus teaching that his demands are easy and light as his divine assistance is assured 58 59 60 Opus Dei does not have monks or nuns and only a minority of its members are priests 61 Opus Dei emphasizes uniting spiritual life with professional social and family life Members of Opus Dei lead ordinary lives with traditional families and secular careers 62 and strive to sanctify ordinary life Pope John Paul II called Escriva the saint of ordinary life 63 nbsp Fernando Ocariz present prelate of Opus Dei Similarly Opus Dei stresses the importance of work and professional competence 64 65 Opus Dei exhorts its members and all lay Catholics to find God in daily life and to perform their work as a service to society and as an offering to God 66 Opus Dei teaches that work not only contributes to social progress but is a path to holiness 67 The biblical roots of this Catholic doctrine according to the founder are in the phrase God created man to work Genesis 2 15 68 and Jesus time as a carpenter in a small town 69 Escriva also points to the gospel account that Jesus has done everything well Mark 7 37 70 71 The foundation of the Christian life as stressed by Escriva is divine filiation Christians are children of God identified with Christ s life and mission Other main ideals of Opus Dei according to its official literature are freedom respecting choice taking personal responsibility charity and love of God above all and love of others 62 At the bottom of Escriva s understanding of the universal call to holiness are two dimensions subjective and objective according to Fernando Ocariz a Catholic theologian and prelate of Opus Dei since 2017 The subjective is the call given to each person to become a saint regardless of their place in society The objective refers to what Escriva calls Christian materialism all of creation even the most material situation is a meeting place with God and leads to union with him 7 Prayers edit See also Interior life Catholic theology All members whether married or unmarried priests or laypeople are trained to follow a plan of life or the norms of piety which are traditional Catholic devotions This is in order to follow the teaching of the Catholic Catechism pray at specific times to nourish continual prayer 72 Mortification edit See also Mortification of the flesh Public attention has focused on Opus Dei s practice of mortification Examples include fasting corporal mortifications such as self inflicted pain self flagellation sleeping without a pillow or sleeping on the floor and if compatible with their family or professional duties remaining silent for certain hours during the day Mortification has a long history in many world religions including the Catholic Church It has been endorsed by popes as a way of following Christ who died of crucifixion and who speaking of anybody that sought to be his disciple said let him deny himself take up his cross daily and follow me Luke 9 23 73 Organization and activities editGovernance edit Main article Personal prelature In Pope John Paul II s 1982 decree known as the Apostolic constitution Ut Sit Opus Dei was established as a personal prelature an official structure of the Catholic Church similar to a diocese in that it contains lay people and secular priests led by a bishop However whereas a bishop normally has a territory or diocese the prelate of Opus Dei is pastor to the members and priests of Opus Dei worldwide no matter what diocese they are in Opus Dei is the only personal prelature in existence 3 In addition to being governed by Ut Sit and by the Catholic Church s general law Opus Dei is governed by the church s Particular Law concerning Opus Dei otherwise known as Opus Dei s statutes This specifies the objectives and workings of the prelature The prelature is under the Congregation for Bishops 74 75 Opus Dei s highest assembled bodies are the General Congresses which are convened once every eight years There are separate congresses for the men s and women s branches of Opus Dei The General Congresses are made up of members appointed by the prelate and are responsible for advising him about the prelature s future The men s General Congress also elects the prelate from a list of candidates chosen by their female counterparts 76 After the death of a prelate a special elective General Congress is convened The women nominate their preferred candidates for the prelate and is voted upon by the men to become the next prelate an appointment that must be confirmed by the Pope 76 The head of the Opus Dei prelature is known as the prelate 74 The prelate is the primary governing authority and is assisted by two councils the General Council made up of men and the Central Advisory made up of women 77 The prelate holds his position for life The current prelate of Opus Dei is Fernando Ocariz Brana who became the third prelate of Opus Dei on 23 January 2017 78 The first prelate of Opus Dei was Alvaro del Portillo who held the position from 1982 until his death in 1994 79 Membership edit As of 2018 update the faithful of the Opus Dei Prelature numbered 95 318 members of which 93 203 are lay persons men and women and 2 115 priests 80 These figures do not include the priest members of Opus Dei s Priestly Society of the Holy Cross estimated to number 2 000 in the year 2005 7 page needed About 60 percent of Opus Dei faithful reside in Europe and 35 percent reside in the Americas 81 Women comprise 57 of the total membership 82 According to the study of John Allen for the most part Opus Dei faithful belong to the middle to low levels in society in terms of education income and social status 83 Opus Dei is made up of several different types of faithful 9 According to the Statutes of Opus Dei 84 the distinction derives from the degree to which they make themselves available for the official activities of the Prelature and for giving formation according to the spirit of Opus Dei 85 Supernumeraries the largest type currently account for about 70 of the total membership 86 Typically supernumeraries are married men and women with careers Supernumeraries devote a portion of their day to prayer in addition to attending regular meetings and taking part in activities such as retreats Due to their career and family obligations supernumeraries are not as available to the organization as the other types of faithful but typically contribute financially and lend other types of assistance as their circumstances permit 87 Numeraries the second largest type of the faithful of Opus Dei comprise about 20 of the total membership 86 Numeraries are celibate members who give themselves in full availability plena disponibilitas for the official undertakings of the Prelature 88 This includes full availability for giving doctrinal and ascetical formation to other members for staffing the internal government of Opus Dei if asked by the regional directors and for moving to other countries to start or help with apostolic activities if asked by the prelate 89 Numeraries are expected to live in gender specific centers run by Opus Dei 90 and the question of which particular center a numerary will live in depends upon the regional needs 91 Numerary is a general term for persons who form part of the permanent staff of an organization It is considered very important for numeraries to participate in daily meals and get togethers in which the sharing of news and conversation takes place 92 Numeraries generally have jobs outside of Opus Dei although some are asked to work internally full time and thus change their professional goals in order to be available for the Prelature The majority of numerary income is contributed to the organization 93 Numerary assistants are a type of numerary that exists in the Women s Branch of Opus Dei Their full availability for the Prelature is lived out as full availability for doing a specific type of work namely looking after the domestic needs of conference and residential centers of Opus Dei 94 Assistants live in centers run by Opus Dei and do not have jobs outside said centers Associates are celibate faithful who take on one or more apostolic assignment s from the Prelature in giving doctrinal and ascetical formation and or coordinating activities 95 They differ from numeraries in not making themselves fully available to staff the official undertakings of the Prelature instead giving themselves in additional social realities such as through their profession or to their own families 93 Because of this difference in availability for the official activities of Opus Dei unlike numeraries the associates do not live in Opus Dei centers but maintain their own abodes 95 Only ordained clergymen are recognized members of the personal prelature by the Catholic church per canon law Laymen such as numeraries have no recognized status by the Catholic Church as confirmed by the Vicar General Mariano Fazio 96 97 The Clergy of the Opus Dei Prelature are priests who are under the jurisdiction of the prelate of Opus Dei They are a minority in Opus Dei that makes up about 2 of Opus Dei members 86 The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross consists of priests associated with Opus Dei Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature priests who fall under the jurisdiction of the Opus Dei prelature are automatically members of the Priestly Society Other members in the society are diocesan priests clergymen who remain under the jurisdiction of a geographically defined diocese These priests are considered full members of Opus Dei who are given its spiritual training They do not however report to the Opus Dei prelate but to their own diocesan bishop 98 As of 2005 update there were roughly two thousand of these priests 7 page needed The Cooperators of Opus Dei are non members who collaborate in some way with Opus Dei usually through praying charitable contributions or by providing some other assistance Cooperators are not required to be celibate or to adhere to any other special requirements and are not even required to be Christian 98 There were 164 000 cooperators in the year 2005 7 page needed In accordance with Catholic theology membership is granted when a vocation or divine calling is presumed to have occurred 99 Activities edit Main article Opus Dei in society Leaders of Opus Dei describe the organization as a teaching entity whose main activity is to train Catholics to assume personal responsibility in sanctifying the secular world from within 13 100 This teaching is done by means of theory and practice 101 Its lay people and priests organize seminars workshops retreats and classes to help people put the Christian faith into practice in their daily lives Spiritual direction one on one coaching with a more experienced lay person or priest is considered the paramount means of training Through these activities they provide religious instruction doctrinal formation coaching in spirituality for lay people spiritual formation character and moral education human formation lessons in sanctifying one s work professional formation and know how in evangelizing one s family and workplace apostolic formation nbsp Central building of the University of Navarra The official Catholic document which established the prelature states that Opus Dei strives to put into practice the teaching of the universal call to sanctity and to promote at all levels of society the sanctification of ordinary work and by means of ordinary work 74 Thus the founder and his followers describe members of Opus Dei as resembling the members of the early Christian Church ordinary workers who seriously sought holiness with nothing exterior to distinguish them from other citizens 13 102 103 Opus Dei runs residential centers throughout the world These centers provide residential housing for celibate members and provide doctrinal and theological education Opus Dei is also responsible for a variety of non profit institutions called Corporate Works of Opus Dei 104 A study of the year 2005 showed that members have cooperated with other people in setting up a total of 608 social initiatives schools and university residences 68 technical or agricultural training centers 26 universities business schools and hospitals 6 7 The University of Navarra in Pamplona Spain and the Austral University in Buenos Aires Argentina are both examples of the corporate work of Opus Dei These universities usually perform very high in international rankings IESE the University of Navarra s Business School was adjudged one of the best in the world by the Financial Times and the Economist Intelligence Unit 105 The total assets of non profits connected to Opus Dei are worth at least 2 8 billion 106 Relations with Catholic leaders editMain article Opus Dei and Catholic Church leaders Leopoldo Eijo y Garay the bishop of Madrid where Opus Dei was born supported Opus Dei and defended it in the 1940s by saying that this opus is truly Dei this work is truly God s Contrary to attacks of secrecy and heresy the bishop described Opus Dei s founder as someone who was open as a child and most obedient to the Church hierarchy 107 nbsp Pope John Paul II Opus Dei was founded led by divine inspiration In the 1950s Pope Pius XII told the most senior Australian bishop Cardinal Norman Gilroy that Escriva is a true saint a man sent by God for our times 108 Pius XII gave Opus Dei the canonical status of pontifical right an institution depending directly and exclusively on the Vatican in its internal governance 109 In 1960 Pope John XXIII commented that Opus Dei opens up unsuspected horizons of apostolate 110 Furthermore in 1964 Pope Paul VI praised the organization in a handwritten letter to Escriva saying Opus Dei is a vigorous expression of the perennial youth of the Church fully open to the demands of a modern apostolate We look with paternal satisfaction on all that Opus Dei has achieved and is achieving for the kingdom of God the desire of doing good that guides it the burning love for the Church and its visible head that distinguishes it and the ardent zeal for souls that impels it along the arduous and difficult paths of the apostolate of presence and witness in every sector of contemporary life 110 The relationship between Paul VI and Opus Dei according to Alberto Moncada a doctor of sociology and ex member was stormy 111 After the Second Vatican Council concluded in 1965 Pope Paul VI denied Opus Dei s petition to become a personal prelature Moncada stated 112 Pope John Paul I a few years before his election wrote that Escriva was more radical than other saints who taught about the universal call to holiness While others emphasized monastic spirituality applied to lay people Escriva it is the material work itself which must be turned into prayer and sanctity thus providing a lay spirituality 113 Criticisms against Opus Dei have prompted Catholic scholars and writers like Piers Paul Read 114 and Vittorio Messori to call Opus Dei a sign of contradiction in reference to the biblical quote of Jesus as a sign that is spoken against 115 John Carmel Heenan Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster said One of the proofs of God s favor is to be a sign of contradiction Almost all founders of societies in the Church have suffered Monsignor Escriva de Balaguer is no exception Opus Dei has been attacked and its motives misunderstood In this country and elsewhere an inquiry has always vindicated Opus Dei 116 One of Opus Dei s most prominent supporters was Pope John Paul II 117 John Paul II cited Opus Dei s aim of sanctifying secular activities as a great ideal He emphasized that Escriva s founding of Opus Dei was ductus divina inspiratione led by divine inspiration and he granted the organization its status as a personal prelature 118 Stating that Escriva is counted among the great witnesses of Christianity John Paul II canonized him in 2002 and called him the saint of ordinary life 119 Of the organization John Paul II said Opus Dei has as its aim the sanctification of one s life while remaining within the world at one s place of work and profession to live the Gospel in the world while living immersed in the world but in order to transform it and to redeem it with one s personal love for Christ This is truly a great ideal which right from the beginning has anticipated the theology of the lay state of the Second Vatican Council and the post conciliar period 120 One third of the world s bishops petitioned for the canonization of Escriva During the canonization there were 42 cardinals and 470 bishops from around the world generals superior of many religious institutes and representatives of various Catholic groups During those days these church officials commented on the universal reach and validity of the message of the founder 83 For his canonization homily John Paul II said With the teachings of St Josemaria it is easier to understand what the Second Vatican Council affirmed there is no question then of the Christian message inhibiting men from building up the world on the contrary it is an incentive to do these very things Vatican II Gaudium et spes n 34 121 Concerning the group s role in the Catholic Church critics have argued that Opus Dei s unique status as a personal prelature gives it too much independence making it essentially a church within a church and that Opus Dei exerts a disproportionately large influence within the Catholic Church itself 122 as illustrated for example by the rapid canonization of Escriva which some considered to be irregular 27 years 123 In contrast Catholic officials say that church authorities have even greater control of Opus Dei now that its head is a prelate appointed by the Pope 124 and its status as a prelature precisely means dependence 125 Allen says that Escriva s relatively quick canonization does not have anything to do with power but with improvements in procedures and John Paul II s decision to make Escriva s sanctity and message known The canonizations of John Paul II himself and Mother Teresa were much faster than Escriva s 7 nbsp Pope Francis St Josemaria is a precursor of Vatican II in proposing the universal call to holiness 126 Pope Benedict XVI has been a particularly strong supporter of Opus Dei and of Escriva Pointing to the name Work of God Benedict XVI then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote that The Lord simply made use of Escriva who allowed God to work Ratzinger cited Escriva for correcting the mistaken idea that holiness is reserved for some extraordinary people who are completely different from ordinary sinners Even if he can be very weak with many mistakes in his life a saint is nothing other than to speak with God as a friend speaks with a friend allowing God to work the Only One who can really make the world both good and happy Ratzinger spoke of Opus Dei s surprising union of absolute fidelity to the Church s great tradition to its faith and unconditional openness to all the challenges of this world whether in the academic world in the field of work or in matters of the economy etc 14 He further explained the theocentrism of Escriva means this confidence in the fact that God is working now and we ought only to put ourselves at his disposal This for me is a message of greatest importance It is a message that leads to overcoming what could be considered the great temptation of our times the pretense that after the Big Bang God retired from history 14 Pope Francis is the first Pope who has dealt with Opus Dei closely as a bishop 127 and according to James V Schall S J is a friend of Opus Dei 128 Francis referred to St Josemaria as a precursor of Vatican II in proposing the universal call to holiness 126 In the analysis of John Allen Pope Francis strong dislike for clericalism which he calls one of the worst evils in the church is a key factor for what Francis admires about Opus Dei since Escriva s emphasis on the dignity of the laity was a challenge to the ultra clerical ethos of Spanish Catholicism in the late 1920s 129 He has a devotion to St Josemaria 130 and he prayed before his relics for 45 minutes when he once visited the church of the prelature in Rome 131 Francis beatified Alvaro del Portillo the successor of Escriva 38 What Bergoglio most liked about Opus Dei was the work done for the poor by one of its schools in Buenos Aires 132 He thanks Opus Dei for its work to further the holiness of priests in the Roman Curia 127 Controversy editMain article Controversies about Opus Dei Throughout its history Opus Dei has been criticized from many quarters prompting journalists to describe Opus Dei as the most controversial force in the Catholic Church and founder Josemaria Escriva as a polarizing figure 7 133 134 Criticism of Opus Dei has centered on allegations of secretiveness 13 controversial and aggressive recruiting methods strict rules governing members elitism and misogyny 135 and support of or participation in authoritarian or right wing governments including the fascist Franco regime which governed in Spain until 1978 112 The mortification of the flesh practiced by some of its members is also criticized Opus Dei has also been criticized for allegedly seeking independence and more influence within the Catholic Church 122 However according to several journalists who have researched Opus Dei separately many criticisms against Opus Dei are based on fabrications by opponents 7 136 133 83 137 In recent years Opus Dei has received international attention due to the novel The Da Vinci Code and its film version of 2006 both of which prominent Christians and others criticized as misleading inaccurate and anti Catholic 138 139 140 141 Critics such as the Jesuit Wladimir Ledochowski refer to Opus Dei as a Catholic Christian or white form of Freemasonry 142 143 144 145 146 Supporting views edit According to several journalists who have worked independently on Opus Dei such as John L Allen Jr 7 Vittorio Messori 83 Patrice de Plunkett 137 Maggy Whitehouse 136 and Noam Friedlander 133 many of the criticisms against Opus Dei are myths and unproven tales Allen Messori and Plunkett say that most of these myths were created by its opponents with Allen adding that he perceives that Opus Dei members generally practice what they preach 147 148 nbsp Opus Dei central headquarters in Rome Allen Messori and Plunkett also state that accusations that Opus Dei is secretive are unfounded These accusations stem from a clerical paradigm which expects Opus Dei members to behave as monks and clerics people who are traditionally known and externally identifiable as seekers of holiness In contrast these journalists continue Opus Dei s lay members like any normal Catholic professional are ultimately responsible for their personal actions and do not externally represent the organization which provides them religious education citation needed Writer and broadcast analyst John L Allen Jr states that Opus Dei provides abundant information about itself These journalists have stated that the historic roots of criticisms against Opus Dei can be found in influential clerical circles 83 149 As to its alleged participation in right wing politics especially the Francoist regime British historians Paul Preston and Brian Crozier state that the Opus Dei members who were Franco s ministers were appointed for their talent and not for their Opus Dei membership 150 page needed 151 152 page needed Also there were notable members of Opus Dei who were vocal critics of the Franco regime such as Rafael Calvo Serer and Antonio Fontan who was the first President of the Senate in Spain following the adoption of a democratic Constitution The German historian and Opus Dei member Peter Berglar calls any connection made between Opus Dei and Franco s regime a gross slander 2 At the end of Franco s regime Opus Dei members were 50 50 for and against Franco according to John Allen 7 page needed Similarly Alvaro del Portillo the former prelate of Opus Dei said that any statements that Escriva supported Hitler were a patent falsehood that were part of a slanderous campaign 153 He and others have stated that Escriva condemned Hitler as a rogue a racist and a tyrant 154 Opus Dei spokespersons also deny claims that Opus Dei members worked with General Pinochet 133 Various authors and researchers state that Escriva was staunchly non political and detested dictatorships 83 155 Allen wrote that compared with other Catholic organizations Opus Dei s stress on freedom and personal responsibility is extraordinarily strong 7 There are many Opus Dei members who are identified with center or left wing politics including Ruth Kelly Jorge Rossi Chavarria Mario Fernandez Baeza Mario Maiolo and Jesus Estanislao 156 While Opus Dei spokespersons have admitted mistakes in dealing with some members and do not as a rule contest their grievances 106 157 supporters have rejected generalizations merely based on negative experiences of some members 158 Opus Dei is not elitist in the sense in which people often invoke the term meaning an exclusively white collar phenomenon concluded John Allen He observed that among its members are barbers bricklayers mechanics and fruit sellers Most supernumeraries are living ordinary middle class lives he said 7 page needed Regarding alleged misogyny John Allen states that half of the leadership positions in Opus Dei are held by women and they supervise men 159 As regards the claim that religious people in Spain including Opus Dei members were involved in the abduction of children during the Franco era an investigation found that DNA analysis of 81 cases ruled out that they were stolen babies 160 The supreme court of Spain did not consider the first case of stolen babies to be proven 161 and the chief prosecutor of the Basque Country said that not even reasonable evidence of any abduction of babies had been found after special investigations of the police 162 Criticism edit Critics of Opus Dei include Maria del Carmen Tapia an ex member who was a high ranking officer of Opus Dei for many years 163 liberal Catholic theologians such as Fr James Martin a Jesuit writer and editor and supporters of liberation theology such as journalist Penny Lernoux and Michael Walsh a writer on religious matters and former Jesuit 86 164 Critics state that Opus Dei is intensely secretive for example members generally do not disclose their affiliation with Opus Dei in public Further under the 1950 constitution members were expressly forbidden to reveal themselves without the permission of their superiors 13 This practice has led to much speculation about who may be a member 13 Due in part to its secrecy the Jesuit run magazine America referred to it as the most controversial group in the Catholic Church today 165 Opus Dei has been accused of deceptive and aggressive recruitment practices 165 such as showering potential members with intense praise love bombing 166 unreliable source 167 and instructing numeraries to form friendships and attend social gatherings explicitly for recruiting purposes 93 Critics allege that Opus Dei maintains an extremely high degree of control over its members for instance past rules required numeraries to submit their incoming and outgoing mail to their superiors for inspection and members are forbidden to read certain books without permission from their superiors 166 Critics charge that Opus Dei pressures numeraries to sever contact with non members including their own families 166 Exit counselor David Clark has described Opus Dei as very cult like 166 nbsp Antonio Fontan Spanish journalist and member of Opus Dei who fought for the freedom of press and democracy during Franco s regime He was persecuted by Franco and was elected as the first President of the Senate once democracy was restored Critics assert that Escriva and the organization supported radical right wing governments such as those of Franco Augusto Pinochet 168 169 full citation needed and Alberto Fujimori 170 of Peru during the 1990s 171 Both Pinochet s and Fujimori s ministries and prominent supporters allegedly included members of Opus Dei but there are also prominent Opus Dei members in parties that opposed those governments Likewise among Opus Dei members there were also strong detractors of Franco such as Antonio Fontan There have also been allegations that Escriva expressed sympathy for Adolf Hitler 172 173 One former Opus Dei priest Vladimir Felzmann who has become a vocal Opus Dei critic says that Escriva once remarked that Hitler had been badly treated by the world and he further declared that Hitler couldn t have been such a bad person He couldn t have killed six million Jews It couldn t have been more than four million 174 175 176 Opus Dei has also been accused of elitism through targeting of the intellectual elite the well to do and the socially prominent 177 As members of Opus Dei are Catholics Opus Dei has been subjected to the same criticisms targeted to Catholicism in general For example Opus Dei s position has been to oppose sexual freedoms and promote conservative morals according to an investigative report produced by the advocacy group Catholics for Choice 178 The report further cites a study from sociologist Marco Burgos alleging Opus Dei interference in sex education programs in Honduras that contradict the Catholic faith 179 Between 1950 and 1980 as many as 300 000 illegal adoptions occurred in Spain in a scandal known as the lost children of Francoism 180 Many Catholic clergy and religious sisters at church sponsored hospitals or other charitable organizations in Spain are alleged to have been involved including members of Opus Dei 181 The Opus Dei organisation has been described as a Holy Mafia or Santa Mafia in the 1970s due to alleged inscrutable business practices 21 182 After conducting a critical study of Opus Dei Catholic journalist John L Allen Jr concluded that Opus Dei should 1 be more transparent 2 collaborate with members of religious institutes and 3 encourage its members to air out in public their criticisms of the institution 7 An article published by the Financial Times in March 2024 accused Opus Dei of practices akin to modern slavery 183 The piece draws on testimony from 16 women who served as Numerary Assistants over several decades in several countries They report having been coerced into domestic servitude through a rigid system of psychological control 183 Other views edit Sociologists Peter Berger and Samuel Huntington suggest that Opus Dei is involved in a deliberate attempt to construct an alternative modernity one that engages modern culture while at the same time is resolutely loyal to Catholic traditions 184 Van Biema of Time magazine emphasises Opus Dei s Spanish roots as a source of misunderstandings in the Anglo Saxon world and suggests that as the United States becomes more Hispanic controversies about Opus Dei and similar Catholic organizations will decrease 13 In her 2006 book on Opus Dei Maggy Whitehouse a non Catholic journalist argues that the relative autonomy of each director and center has resulted in mistakes at the local level She recommends greater consistency and transparency for Opus Dei which she sees as having learned the lesson of greater openness when it faced the issues raised by The Da Vinci Code and other critics 136 See also edit nbsp Catholicism portal Controversies about Opus Dei L Opus Dei enquete sur le monstre Opus Dei Investigation on the monster book List of members of Opus Dei Opus Dei and politics Opus Dei An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church book Opus Dei in society Parents for Education Foundation PARED List of Opus Dei saints and beatified peopleFootnotes edit a b Opus Dei Personal Prelature Catholic Hierarchy www catholic hierarchy org Retrieved 8 June 2019 a b c d e f g Berglar Peter 1994 Opus Dei Life and Work of Its Founder Josemaria Escriva Translated by Browne Bernard Chessman Stuart Junge John Gottschalk Mary Princeton NJ Scepter Publishers Inc p 189 ISBN 0 933932 64 2 Archived from the original on 20 August 2018 Retrieved 29 March 2008 a b c d e Apostolic Letter issued Motu proprio of the Supreme Pontiff Francis Ad charisma tuendum press vatican va Retrieved 24 October 2022 Upon whom does the prelate of Opus Dei depend Who appoints him Opus Dei Decoding secret world of Opus Dei BBC News 16 September 2005 Retrieved 27 November 2006 Bill Tammeus 19 October 2005 Bishop confirms connection to group Kansas City Star a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o John Allen 2005 Opus Dei An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church Doubleday Religion ISBN 0 385 51449 2 a b Opus Dei to produce Italian cartoon and mini series on St Josemaria Escriva Retrieved 11 December 2016 a b Opus Dei BBC Religion and Ethics Retrieved 27 November 2006 Terry Mattingly Da Vinci Code mania opened up Opus Dei Albuquerque Tribune Archived from the original on 29 September 2007 Retrieved 2 April 2007 Opus Dei JosemariaEscriva info Retrieved 27 November 2006 Archer Graeme 5 October 2002 Vatican proves the power of Opus Dei Founder The Daily Telegraph London Retrieved 27 November 2006 a b c d e f g David Van Biema 19 April 2006 The Ways of Opus Dei Time Archived from the original on 19 May 2006 Retrieved 24 March 2007 a b c Pope Benedict XVI on St Josemaria Escriva Opus Dei Official Site Retrieved 27 November 2006 The Founding of Opus Dei JosemariaEscriva info Retrieved 27 November 2006 Escriva Josemaria Conversations 60 Retrieved 16 May 2006 Historical Overview JosemariaEscriva info Retrieved 27 November 2006 Escriva Josemaria Conversations 33 Retrieved 30 May 2007 The Way EscrivaWorks org Retrieved 27 November 2006 Philip Copens Deciphering the Da Vinci Code Archived from the original on 27 October 2006 Retrieved 27 November 2006 a b Pilapil Vicente R 1971 Opus Dei in Spain The World Today 27 5 211 221 ISSN 0043 9134 JSTOR 40394504 Opus Dei MSN Encarta Archived from the original on 8 May 2006 Retrieved 27 November 2006 Blessed Josemaria Escriva to be canonised Opus Dei Official Site Retrieved 27 November 2006 John L Allen Jr 300 000 pilgrims turn out for canonisation of Opus Dei founder National Catholic Reporter Retrieved 27 November 2006 The Process of Canonization JosemariaEscriva info Retrieved 27 November 2006 Dr Ernesto Cofino Position Papers 1 October 2020 Retrieved 27 July 2021 Montse Grases a typical girl www synod va Archived from the original on 27 July 2021 Retrieved 27 July 2021 A regular teenager who lived heroic virtue in a simple life Meet Montse Grases Aleteia Catholic Spirituality Lifestyle World News and Culture 4 December 2020 Retrieved 27 July 2021 La storia Toni Zweifel ingegneria della santita www avvenire it in Italian 8 July 2020 Retrieved 27 July 2021 Diocesan Phase of Toni Zweifel s Beatification Cause Concludes opusdei org Retrieved 27 July 2021 Cardinal Rouco opens cause of canonization for Spanish couple Catholic News Agency Retrieved 4 March 2009 permanent dead link a b c Requena Federico M 2014 We find our sanctity in the middle of the world Father Jose Luis Muzquiz and the Beginnings of Opus Dei in the United States 1949 1961 U S Catholic Historian 32 3 101 125 ISSN 0735 8318 JSTOR 24584727 Dora del Hoyo s Cause of Canonization Opened in Rome Retrieved 11 December 2016 The Church studies the sanctity of Jose Maria Hernandez Garnica en romana org Retrieved 27 July 2021 Cardinals Tauran and Herranz installed at their titular churches Opus Dei Official Site Retrieved 27 November 2006 Pope blesses statue of Opus Dei founder The Guardian Associated Press Archived from the original on 11 February 2007 Retrieved 2 April 2007 What is Opus Dei and why is it so controversial both in and out of the Catholic Church ABC News 30 January 2023 Retrieved 18 May 2023 a b Don Alvaro del Portillo Beatified in Madrid http www zenit org en articles don alvaro del portillo beatified in madrid Letter from the Prelate 10 December 2014 Retrieved 11 December 2016 Fallece en Roma el prelado del Opus Dei monsenor Javier Echevarria Lainformacion es in Spanish 12 December 2016 Archived from the original on 12 December 2016 Retrieved 12 December 2016 CNA Monsignor Ocariz confirmed as new prelate of Opus Dei Catholic News Agency Retrieved 27 July 2021 Ocariz elected as fourth prelate of Opus Dei confirmed by Pope Francis The Tablet Retrieved 27 July 2021 Guadalupe Ortiz the first woman member of Opus Dei to be beatified The Tablet Retrieved 27 July 2021 Opus Dei settles sexual misconduct claim against prominent U S priest National Catholic Reporter 8 January 2019 Retrieved 16 June 2021 Opus Dei confirms one of its priests sentenced by Vatican for abuse Crux 16 July 2020 Retrieved 16 June 2021 a b Mares Courtney 22 July 2022 Pope Francis makes changes to Opus Dei in new decree Catholic News Agency Retrieved 22 July 2022 a b c De Carolis Alessandro 22 July 2022 Motu Proprio on Opus Dei to protect charism and promote evangelization Vatican News Retrieved 22 July 2022 Motu Proprio Ad charisma tuendum Questions and Answers Opus Dei Retrieved 24 July 2022 Pope Francis to Spanish Press I m a Very Close Friend of the Opus Dei I Love Them a Lot and the Good They Do Is Very Great 19 December 2022 Pope modifies Church law on personal prelatures Vatican News www vaticannews va 8 August 2023 What has changed in personal prelatures Josemaria Escriva Letter 14 February 1964 1 quoted in 2 October 2011 Pastoral Letter of Bishop Javier Echevarria Fr John McCloskey March 1995 The Pope and Opus Dei Crisis Magazine Archived from the original on 12 May 2008 Retrieved 27 November 2006 mirrored on CatholiCity Opus Dei s focus on secular life Opus Dei Official Site Retrieved 28 November 2006 Da Vinci And Opus Dei The New York Sun Archived from the original on 28 April 2022 Retrieved 27 November 2006 Matthew 22 37 Matthew 5 48 Matthew 11 28 30 Escriva J Christ is Passing By n 176 Friends of God n 28 A Glimpse Inside a Catholic Force Opus Dei National Public Radio Retrieved 27 November 2006 Opus Dei called complete opposite of The Da Vinci Code portrayal Catholic News Service Archived from the original on 8 October 2006 Retrieved 27 November 2006 a b Message of Opus Dei Opus Dei website Retrieved 11 March 2007 Decree of Canonization JoseMaria info Archived from the original on 29 June 2006 Retrieved 27 November 2006 Josemaria Escriva Chapter 15 Work Furrow Retrieved 27 November 2006 Josemaria Escriva Work and Holiness Eternal Word Television Network Archived from the original on 12 May 2006 Retrieved 27 November 2006 Opus Dei as a Political Force in Post Cold War Latin America Civil Society Associationalism and Democracy American Political Science Association Archived from the original on 25 February 2018 Retrieved 27 November 2006 Interview with Opus Dei National Spokesman ABC News Retrieved 11 January 2011 Genesis 2 15 Josemaria Escriva What is the Attraction of Opus Dei Conversations Retrieved 4 July 2007 Mark 7 37 Josemaria Escriva Working for God Friends of God Retrieved 4 July 2007 The Life of Prayer Catechism of the Catholic Church no 2697 8 Retrieved 20 August 2007 The Da Vinci Code the Catholic Church and Opus Dei Opus Dei Official Site Retrieved 27 November 2006 a b c Pope John Paul II Apostolic Constitution Ut Sit Establishing Opus Dei as the first Personal Prelature of the Catholic Church Retrieved 27 November 2006 Place in the Church Opus Dei Official Site Retrieved 27 November 2006 a b Original Latin version on Opus Dei Official Site What is Opus Dei Governance Opus Dei Official Site Retrieved 28 November 2006 Monsignor Ocariz confirmed as new Prelate of Opus Dei Catholic News Agency Retrieved 24 January 2017 Opus Dei IdeasRapidas org Retrieved 27 November 2006 Prelature of Opus Dei Catholic Hierarhcy Retrieved 4 February 2021 Opus Dei Its Mission Structure and Members Zenit News Agency Archived from the original on 13 June 2006 Retrieved 27 November 2006 This is the process for Opus Dei s election of a new prelate 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Herald Retrieved 4 April 2007 Ansede Manuel 20 October 2018 El analisis del ADN de 81 casos descarta que fueran bebes robados El Pais in Spanish El Supremo no considera probado el primer caso que analiza de bebes robados in Spanish 11 June 2020 Chavarri Ines P 2 December 2012 La burbuja de los bebes robados El Pais in Spanish del Carmen Tapia Maria 1997 Beyond the Threshold A Life in Opus Dei Continuum ISBN 0 8264 1096 0 Crawford Leslie 6 October 2002 Opus Dei s influence promotes a sainthood Financial Times London a b Martin James 25 February 1995 Opus Dei in the United States America Magazine Retrieved 22 December 2017 a b c d Karloff Abbott 14 May 2006 Opus Dei members Da Vinci distorted Daily Record Retrieved 27 November 2006 via Religion News Blog Green Elizabeth W 10 April 2003 Opening the doors of Opus Dei Part 2 The Harvard Crimson Archived from the original on 16 October 2007 Retrieved 17 April 2020 Ekaizer Ernesto 20 February 1999 La mediacion del Vaticano en favor de Pinochet se gesto en la sede del Opus dei en Roma El Pais in Spanish Retrieved 31 December 2018 El Opus Dei y su opcion preferencial por los ricos al servicio de la economia neoliberal en Chile Archived 1 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine Accessed December 31 2018 Tamayo Juan Jose 27 August 2000 El arzobispo Cipriani teologo de Fujimori El Pais in Spanish Retrieved 31 December 2018 Allen John Jr Opus Dei The Truth about its Rituals Secrets and Power 2005 Penguin Books ISBN 0 14 102465 8 pp 287 290 James Barry 14 April 1992 Rocky Road to Sainthood for a Choleric Cleric International Herald Tribune Archived from the original on 10 April 2007 Retrieved 28 November 2006 Grossman Ron 6 December 2003 Catholics scrutinize enigmatic strict Opus Dei Chicago Tribune Thompson Damian 18 January 2005 A creepy scrape with the Da Vinci Code set The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 25 October 2005 Woodward Kenneth L 13 January 1992 Opus Dei Prepares to Stand By Its Man Newsweek Hutchinson Robert 1999 Their Kingdom Come Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei Thomas Dunne p 15 ISBN 0 312 19344 0 Baumann Paul 10 August 1997 The Way of the Faithful The Washington Post Catholics for Choice 2011 A Primer on Opus Dei in Latin America PDF Archived from the original PDF on 31 May 2013 Retrieved 23 October 2012 Culpan a Opus Dei por golpe en Honduras El Universal in Spanish 18 January 2010 Archived from the original on 12 April 2015 Retrieved 23 October 2012 Adler Katya 18 October 2011 Spain s stolen babies and the families who lived a lie BBC News On the trail of Spain s stolen children El Pais 7 March 2011 Retrieved 16 June 2021 Hertel Peter 7 April 2005 Vatikan intern Der Aufstieg der Santa Mafia Der Spiegel in German Retrieved 16 June 2021 a b The Opus Dei diaries Financial Times 16 March 2024 Retrieved 17 March 2024 Peter Berger amp Samuel Huntington 2002 Many Globalizations Cultural Diversity in the Contemporary World Oxford University Press ISBN 84 493 1322 8 Further reading editMain article Opus Dei Bibliography Allen John Jr 2005 Opus Dei An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church Doubleday Religion ISBN 0 385 51449 2 Interview The Word From Rome December 16 2005 Online excerpts Opus Dei An Introduction Archived 17 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine Chapter I A Quick Overview of Opus Dei Chapter 7 Opus Dei and Secrecy Berglar Peter 1994 Opus Dei Life and Work of its Founder Scepter online here 1 Coverdale John F 2010 Putting Down Roots Father Joseph Muzquiz and the Growth of Opus Dei 1912 1983 New York Scepter Publishers p 152 ISBN 978 1 59417 081 2 De Plunkett Patrice 2006 L Opus Dei enquete sur le monstre Presses de la Renaissance E B E Opus Dei as divine revelation 2016 576 pages An historical and theological study by a former member It includes unpublished historical documents the Regulations of 1941 several letters of Escriva to Franco documents about Escriva s request for being appointed bishop etc ISBN 978 1523318889 paperback and ASIN B01D5MNGD2 ebook Amazon Online Preview on Amazon website here 2 Estruch Joan 1995 Saints and Schemers Opus Dei and its paradoxes Oxford University Press trans of L Opus Dei i les seves paradoxes in Catalan online Spanish version here Opus Dei Santos y pillos Indice Friedlander Noam 2005 What Is Opus Dei Tales of God Blood Money and Faith Collins amp Brown ISBN 978 1 84340 288 6 a book review titled A Wholesome Reality Hides Behind A Dark Conspiracy Hahn Scott 2006 Ordinary Work Extraordinary Grace My Spiritual Journey in Opus Dei Random House Doubleday Religion ISBN 978 0 385 51924 3 online excerpt of Chapter One here 3 John Paul II Sacred Congregation for Bishops 23 August 1982 Vatican Declaration on Opus Dei online here Opus Dei Vatican Declaration on Opus Dei Luciani Albino John Paul I 25 July 1978 Seeking God through everyday work Il Gazzettino Venice online here 4 Martin James S J 25 February 1995 Opus Dei in the United States America Magazine online here America The National Catholic Weekly Messori Vittorio 1997 Opus Dei Leadership and Vision in Today s Catholic Church Regnery Publishing ISBN 0 89526 450 1 online version here 5 O Connor William Opus Dei An Open Book A Reply to The Secret World of Opus Dei by Michael Walsh Mercier Press Dublin 1991 online here Opus Dei An Open Book Oates MT et al 2009 Women of Opus Dei In Their Own Words Crossroad Publishing Company ISBN 0 8245 2425 X Ratzinger Joseph Benedict XVI 9 October 2002 St Josemaria God is very much at work in our world today L Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English p 3 online here 6 Schall James S J Aug September 1996 Of Saintly Timber Homiletic and Pastoral Review review of Estruch s work online here 7 permanent dead link Shaw Russel 1994 Ordinary Christians in the World Office of Communications Prelature of Opus Dei in the US online here 8 Archived 16 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Walsh Michael 1989 Opus Dei An Investigation Into the Secret Society Struggling For Power Within the Catholic Church New York HarperSanFrancisco pp 230 w Index ISBN 0 06 069268 5 1982 Statutes of Opus Dei Latin and English unauthorized translation Dominique Le Tourneau 2002 What Is Opus Dei Gracewing ISBN 0 85244 136 3 a French scholar s synthesis himself a member of the Opus Dei Giuseppe Romano 1995 Opus Dei Who How Why Alba House ISBN 0 8189 0739 8 a study of an Italian essayist Jean Jacques Thierry 1975 Opus Dei A Close Up Cortland Press the first serious study on Opus Dei to be published written by a French journalistExternal links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Opus Dei Opus Dei official sites edit Official website The founder of Opus Dei Official Site Writings of the founder of Opus Dei St Josemaria Escriva Historical Institute Rome YouTube Channel Opus Dei YouTube Channel St Josemaria Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Opus Dei amp oldid 1220763026, wikipedia, wiki, book, 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