Opus Dei

Opus Dei, which means "the work of the Lord" is a lay order founded by Msgr. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer y Albas in Madrid, Spain in 1928. It received approval by the Pope in 1950, and in some areas of the country is a Catholic Crusade with almost Jesuitic fervor. Msgr. Balaguer calls it "a way of sanctification in daily work and in fulfillment of the Christian's ordinary duties." It has "opened up to the faithful a new way to sanctify themselves in the world, in carrying out their ordinary work and in fulfilling their personal, family and social duties.

POST VATICAN II

The founder, Msgr. Escriva, died in 1975. At the time of his death, Opus Dei had 60,000 members.

Escriva was succeeded by Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo. On January 6, 1991, pope John Paul II ordained Msgr. Alvaro the titular bishop of Vita.

In January 1991 it was reported that Opus Dei has over 75,000 members, well over one million "co-operators" and 1,300 of its own priests.

Because of what some consider the loss of zeal among the Jesuits in defending papal Romanism, Opus Dei is sometimes championed as their successors.

CATHOLIC JOURNALS

From DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER, 3/14/90. "OPUS DEI OPENS NEW UNIVERSITY IN ROME. A college formed in 1985 by Opus Dei has been upgraded to a University, the first institution of such rank to be created in Rome in 50 years."

On April 9, 1990, the Vatican declared Msgr. Escriva "venerable." The decree approved by the pope said, of Escriva, "he prophetically anticipated the Second Vatican Council , he was a true pioneer of the intrinsic integrity of Christian life, he passionately loved the Eucharist and was an untiring apostle of the Sacrament of Penance." (THE CATHOLIC ANSWER, January/February 1991, page 39ff)

From ARKANSAS CATHOLIC, May 17, 1992. "Despite vehement protests, Pope John Paul II plans to beatify Msgr. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, founder of Opus Dei (`Work of God'), one of the most powerful organizations in the Church.

"Opus Dei is predicting at least 100,000 supporters of Msgr. Escriva will attend the beatification in Rome May 17.

"The speed with which his beatification was approved shows Opus Dei's `extraordinary power in the Holy See,' said Ken Woodward, religion editor of Newsweek. Opus Dei rebutted the charge, saying that the speed was the result of streamlined Vatican norms and the organizational ability of Opus Dei. "

From THE CATHOLIC VOICE, June 1, 1992. "Controversy continues over Opus Dei beatification. Vatican officials, in a highly unusual move, have published a lengthy decision to beatify the founder of the controversial Roman Catholic movement Opus Dei.

"A front page article in L'Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican publication, rebutted point-by-point criticism of the beatification process for Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer.

"Beatification...normally occurs without any controversy, but the Vatican apparently felt it was necessary to refute the critics of the process involving Escriva."

"One of the most outspoken critics has been Newsweek magazine's Kenneth Woodward...who writes that an official Vatican document called a `positio' shows that Vatican officials `bent their rules to exclude damaging evidence about Escriva's character and commitment to the church.'

"The Vatican article said, `These insinuations are baseless.'

"Critics have argued that this step toward sainthood has occurred much too soon, only 17 years after Escriva's death.

"Others...argue that Opus Dei has become a powerful and secretive organization that opposes many of the reforms of Vatican II ... Pope John Paul II named Opus Dei a `personal prelature,' a designation that makes it unique among Catholic organizations."

From THE WANDERER, 6/6/95, page 3. (Report on disapproval of the sale of property in Chicago to Opus Dei.) "The archdiocese later explained that the Finance Committee was concerned about the `controversial' nature of Opus Dei....Fr. James Kaczorowski of the archdiocesan Priests' Senate said that priests were concerned about Opus Dei's role in the archdiocese. [He said] 'There are people in Opus Dei who are crucifying our priests.'"

From MOTHERS' WATCH, Volume 3, No. 3. "We became concerned with Opus Dei when we learned their schools had sex ed and that Opus Dei people do not oppose classroom sex education. Many parents have also related their bad experiences with Opus Dei to us. The evidence is mounting. Opus Dei has long been considered more than "controversial" in Europe. There are many books and articles on Opus Dei that you might benefit from reading: PARENTS' GUIDE TO OPUS DEI, Sicut Dixit Press, 305 Madison Ave., NYC, NY 10165 ($7.95 post paid); BEYOND THE THRESHOLD, a shocking new book by Maria del Carmen Tapia, a former member and personal secretary to Msgr. Escriva, Continuum Publishing Group, 370 Lexington Ave., NYC, NY 10017; and AGAINST THE GRAIN, magazine by Suzanne Rini will be covering Opus Dei in depth, 3854 Nantasket St., Pittsburgh, PA 15207

SECULAR JOURNALS

From NEWSWEEK, 9/20/82. "John Paul's Shock Troops. When Rome needed a corps of spiritual soldiers to lead the Counter-Reformation, a Spanish visionary named Ignatius of Loyola put his newly formed Society of Jesus at the pope's personal disposal. The early Jesuits were ultraorthodox, highly disciplines, well educated in secular studies and - in the eyes of their enemies - experts in evasion. Today, these same traits characterize the members of Opus Dei (God's Work), an international, organization of Roman Catholics also founded by a Spaniard and - some church officials believe - destined to replace the Jesuits as the favored shock troops of Pope John Paul II.

"Opus Dei encourages its unmarried members to flagellate themselves periodically with meter-long leather whips and to wear the `cilicio,' a chain-mail band, about the thigh or waist.

"`What I don't like is their dictatorial style and their secrecy,' says one U.S. prelate.

"The pope has confirmed the role of the ultraconservative movement in the future of the church that provides a haven for Catholics who are uncomfortable with the ambiguities of ordinary Christian life."

From ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 5/17/92. "Beatification draws crowds, controversy. Pope's decision to honor religious group founder turns into public debate.

"(According to one critic, Escriva) was vain, supported Spain's fascist dictator, Francisco Franco, was aristocratic, autocratic and had a terrible temper that exploded on those opposed to his movement. (Another), who worked closely with Escriva before he fired her, described in her memoirs Escriva's violent temper and a vengeful threat to retaliate against her if she ever spoke against Opus Dei."

OPUS DEI: THE PAPAL UNDERGROUND

by Thomas Lawton Jones

On the eve of the 1978 conclave that would elect him Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla lay prostrate on the green marble slab of the crypt of Josemaria Escriva Balaguer y Albas, the Spanish priest who in 1928 founded the ultra- secret Roman Catholic society Opus Dei. Wojtyla has long been an admirer of the society and under his papacy Opus Dei has risen to unprecedented power.

In 1982, the Vatican granted Opus Dei a broad statute for a multinational prelacy responsible directly to the pope, and having its own prelate, clergy, seminaries, initiated, apostolic works, and exclusive regulations.

The pope appointed as "prelate for life" of Opus Dei the aged Spanish monsignor Alvaro Del Portillo. Though not promoted to bishop as was expected, he wears the bishop's vestments and a Byzantine pectoral cross given to him by Pope John Paul II....

Opus Dei (Latin for "Work of God") is ostensibly dedicated to carrying out the apostolate of conquering new souls to the cause of Roman Catholicism. But a secret series of scandals aroused suspicions that the institution has hidden goals that are less spiritual.

In Madrid, an eminent member of Opus Dei, Josemaria Ruiz, Mateos, was accused of having caused the bankruptcy of La Rumasa, a holding company created by Mateos that controlled twenty banks and a myriad of businesses. In the prosperous days of the company, Mateos donated tens of millions of dollars to Opus Dei...He now blames certain members of Opus Dei for the collapse. It is the first time an Opus Dei member has publicly accused other members.

In Italy, Opus Dei drew the attention of the press and the government when its name came up in connection with the fraud and bankruptcy scandal of Roberto Calvi, the late president of Banco Ambrosiano. Calvi's widow, Clara, says he was expecting to conclude a large deal with Opus Dei just before his body was found hanging under Blackfriar's Bridge in London (Calvi's death has been called an "acrobatic suicide.")

"My husband was stopped," said Mrs. Calvi, "by those who didn't want him to carry to completion the Opus Dei deal."

(The deal is supposed to have involved a payment of the equivalent of one billion dollars by Opus Dei to Institute for Religious Works (IOR), commonly known as The Vatican Bank. Opponents of this were afraid that this would transfer control of IOR to Opus Dei, creating a new balance of power in the Vatican. Opus Dei denies involvement, but evidence more recently uncovered strongly suggests that there may have been documents in a briefcase later discovered that would implicate Opus Dei.)

...Members of Opus Dei include both priests and lay persons. The lay persons are in two classes: the "numeraries," those taking a vow of celibacy and living communally, and the "supernumaries," those who are allowed to marry and live with their family.

According to the Constitutions, the prelate has absolute dominion over the numeraries whom he "liberally uses" to accomplish the purposes of the institution (Article 148). And those ends do not appear to be excessively spiritual, judging from the means of carrying them out....

The supernumeraries are, for the most part, married and appear to live normal lives. But as members of Opus Dei they are under solemn oath to "always consult their superiors in regard to professional, social and other questions, even those which do not constitute a matter of a direct vow of obedience" (Article 58).

At the bottom of the hierarchy are the "collaborators," who are not properly members of Opus Dei and do not even have to be of the Catholic faith. These lend help to the institution through their own professions or trades and through their offerings.

To the outside world, absolute secrecy must be maintained. "The number of members must be kept secret; on the contrary, with outsiders, one must not speak of them" (Article 190). One must never reveal to anyone that one belongs to Opus Dei" (Article 191). This restriction applies even to members of one's immediate family....

Recently, the organization did assert that it has more than 70,000 members in 90 nations.

Upon entering Opus Dei, every initiate "must yield the administration of all his goods" to a "brother" in the institution (Article 55). Before they can be officially accepted, the numeraries must write a "testament for the disposition of present and future goods" which is kept in the central archives of Opus Dei to be promptly executed by the institution on the death of the testator.

In addition, each numerary is obliged to deposit all his earnings in the treasury of the institution. If a member of Opus Dei leaves the institution, he can claim nothing (Article 167)

In Spanish speaking countries, Opus Dei members have risen to positions of great power in government and education. In Chile, Opus Dei member Javier Cuadra is Secretary General of the fascist military dictatorship of General Pinochet....according to Time Magazine, Opus Dei members influence Mexico's affairs through the Pan American Enterprise Institute.

In the United States, where church-state relations are being re-examined, the presence of Opus Dei adds a serious new aspect. While many religious organizations lobby openly through licensed organizations, Opus Dei seems to be seeking to influence policy-making clandestinely under a vow never to divulge its membership.

Although Opus Dei membership in the United States is estimated at only about 3,000, its "co-operators" have included such influential personages as Sargent Shriver (George McGovern's running mate in the 1972 presidential election) and his wife, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

It is the secrecy of Opus Dei and the absolute authority of its hierarchy that evoke fears. Even its critics acknowledge Opus Dei's right to influence government or society by legal means, but the government and public would like to know who the lobbyists are and what special interests they are serving. Could some senators, representatives, cabinet members, justices or presidential advisors be supernumeraries of Opus Dei who are taking orders ultimately from Rome?

Although Opus Dei officially denies any political ambitions, noted priest Gianni Baget Bozzo audaciously proclaims, "Opus Dei is in a position...to substitute the political party as administrator of (political) carriers in a society in which the Catholic world possesses a potential of power and does not have the organs capable of transforming this power into action, this space into structure."

Given the fact that the Roman Catholic Church has never renounced its claim to temporal authority, the presence of Opus Dei as a clandestine political, economic and educational power must be taken seriously...

In Opus Dei, Pope John Paul II, or any succeeding pope, has a secret service dedicated to carrying out not only his spiritual goals, but his political and economic goals as well.

Published by Mission to Catholics, Box 19280, San Diego, CA 92159

Josemaria Escriva was canonized by John Paul II on October 3, 2002