Saint JosemarÃa Escrivá, Founder of Opus Dei: "Work is the way to contribute to the progress of society; even more, it is a way to holiness."
The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, commonly known as Opus Dei (Latin for "The Work of God") or the Work, is an international prelature of the Roman Catholic Church, comprising ordinary lay people and secular priests headed by a prelate, whose professed mission is to contribute to spreading the Catholic teaching that everyone is called to become a saint and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity.
Founded in 1928 by a Roman Catholic priest, St. JosemarÃa Escrivá, Opus Dei was established as a personal prelature by Pope John Paul II in 1982 and remains the only such prelature in Catholic Church. Since then its Prelate in Rome has presided over a prelature whose boundaries are defined by Opus membership rather than the usual geographical boundaries. It now coexists with episcopal dioceses as an official part of the Church's institutional structures. Opus Dei originally comprised only celibate numerary members, but now admits non-celibate supernumerary members, numerary-assistants (who are all women), associates and has numerous co-operators. Opus Dei has approximately 85,000 members worldwide.
Various Popes and Catholic Church leaders strongly support what they see as Opus Dei's innovative teaching on the sanctifying value of work, its loyalty to the Catholic Church, and its enabling individual Catholics to sanctify the secular world.Since its foundation Opus Dei has been subjected to criticism and opposition. Jesuits were among its most vehement early critics, the most famous of which was former Jesuit and theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar. Hans Urs von Balthasar described Opus Dei as "a concentration of fundamentalist power in the Church." (article in Wort und Wahrheit, 1963). On the other hand, V. Messori, that the theologian later retracted his views after more in-depth study and after meeting members of Opus Dei. He even defended Opus Dei against attacks. Opus Dei's opponents point to its secrecy, its clandestine financial dealings, its elitism, its ultraconservatism, its support for the extreme right-wing in politics, its misogyny, its cult-like recruitment regime and its violations of basic human rights .
CNN's Vatican analyst, John L. Allen, Jr., and also Vittorio Messori, both Catholic journalists, stated that these accusations are mere myths, a far cry from Opus Dei's reality. In 1994, Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist of religion and conservative Catholic scholar, stated that Opus Dei had been the target of secularists intolerant of what he saw as a "return to religion" in society. In his view, Catholic liberals and certain ex-members had unfairly stigmatized Opus Dei. Many Catholics invoke the sign of contradiction in order to explain Allen's description of Opus Dei as the most controversial force in the Catholic Church. Ultimately Opus Dei remains the subject of much political criticism both inside and outside the Catholic Church.
Image seen on the Official Prayer Card to St. Josemaria Escrivá upon his canonization on 6 October2002. On that day, Pope John Paul II called Opus Dei's founder "the saint of ordinary life."
According to Escrivá, Opus Dei's mission is:: "to help those Christians who… form part of the very texture of civil society to understand that their life… is a way of holiness and evangelization. The one and only mission of Opus Dei is the spreading of this message which comes from the Gospel. And to those who grasp this ideal of holiness, the Work offers the spiritual assistance and the doctrinal, ascetical and apostolic training which they need to put it into practice."
Leaders of Opus Dei describe the organization as a Catholic teaching entity.Escrivá says it is a "great catechesis." See also "Ways of Opus Dei" Time Magazine. Escrivá gave the organization the name "Opus Dei," which in Latin means "The Work of God." Pope John Paul II, stated that Escrivá had founded Opus Dei led by divine inspiration. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) said that the organization was not Escriva's work but God's Work, Opus Dei, and that "Escriva was only an instrument with which God had acted." [1]
However, in Saints and Schemers: Opus Dei and its Paradoxes, Prof. Joan Estruch, the Research Director of the Department of Sociology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, points out that Opus Dei is but the work of Escrivá, whose goals and motivations changed according to the historical context in which he lived. Priests like Escrivá, says Estruch, enter the seminary only to improve their lot. Thus, at one point, Escrivá simply sought to modernise Spain.Thus, according to Estruch, Opus Dei became both conservative in doctrine and modern in its work ethic. On the other hand, Jesuit scholar, Fr. James V. Schall, Professor of Political Science at Georgetown University, says that Estruch's work is subjective, arbitrary and unscientific. [2]
Initially, Opus Dei was open only to men, but in 1930, Escrivá created the women's branch of Opus Dei, thereby allowing both sexes to participate in the organization. In 1936, Opus Dei suffered a temporary setback when the events of the Spanish Civil War forced Escrivá to go into hiding. After the civil war was won by General Francisco Franco's Nationalists, Escrivá was able to return to Madrid.
In 1939, Escrivá published The Way, a collection of 999 maxims concerning spirituality. In 1946, Escrivá moved the organization's headquarters to Rome. In 1950, Pope Pius XII granted the definitive approval to Opus Dei meaning that members of Opus Dei with respect to their spiritual training fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Prelate of Opus, while remaining under the jurisdiction of their local dioceses as ordinary parishioners. In 2002, Opus Dei founder Josemaria Escrivá was canonized as a saint.
Filipino painting titled Magpakabanal sa gawain: "Be a saint through your work."
Spiritual teachings
As an organization within the Roman Catholic church, Opus Dei shares its doctrines, while emphasizing certain Catholic spiritual teachings:Universal call to holiness :Opus Dei lays stress on the universal call to holiness that is embodied in Jesus' command: Love God with all your heart. Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. Sanctity is not just for monks and priests, says Escrivá; it is also easily accessible for lay persons. As Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (2002) explained Escrivá's teaching: becoming a saint is shunned when there is a mistaken idea of holiness as being reserved to some extraordinary people who are completely different from us 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, states Ratzinger. [3]Holiness in ordinary life:Called the "saint of ordinary life" by John Paul II, the founder of Opus Dei wrote: "The majority of Christians should become a saint in the world through ordinary work." Opus Dei emphasizes that the average Catholic or the laity should imitate Jesus who worked as a carpenter and lived as a son in a Jewish family in a small village for 30 years. Sanctifying work:Since the Bible stated that man was created "to work" (Gen 2:15) and that Jesus "did all things well" (Mk 7:37), Escriva encouraged lay Catholics to work responsibly and excellently. By doing so, the Christian's work is both an effective service for the needs of society and a fitting offering to God. "'Great' holiness consists in carrying out the 'little duties' of each moment," says Escriva. Secularity and freedom:Catholics should be aware that they are free, says Escriva, and with their freedom, are personally responsible for their life and social influence. God the Son himself, whom they are imitating, redeemed us through his free choices: As man, he freely loved his Father's will throughout his whole life, even "unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:8). Each one then directs his life towards eternal union or separation with God, the two ultimate roads of life.
Girls from an Opus Dei youth club setting up a market stall to raise funds to support an African project. Allen says that the big majority of the undertakings guided by Opus Dei are youth and social development centres.
Contemplatives in the middle of the world:Opus Dei's message is based on the teaching that all of creation has been sanctified by the God-become-flesh: movies, boardrooms, gardens, sports are as much meeting places with God as temples. This message, says Franz Cardinal König (1975), the perceived leader of the "progressivists" in Vatican II, lies in teaching that the two separated worlds of religious life and professional life "should in fact walk together." Charity and daily evangelization:Holiness, according to Catholic theology, is a response of love to infinite divine love. And love is nurtured by constant child-like prayer, which in Opus Dei is assisted by regular acts of prayer called "norms of piety." "Love is deeds and not sweet words," says Escriva, and it consists of understanding, compassion, courtesy, helping the needy, and fraternal correction. Love is orderly and should start with one's duties, he says. Charity entails apostolate, leading people to God.Unity of life:This is a key point in Opus Dei's message: a Christian who seeks God not just in church, but also in the most material things has no double life. Instead, he has a unity of life. This, according to Escriva, is a profound union with Jesus Christ, both fully God and fully man, one person in whom divine power is fused with ordinary human activity. With this, a Christian's work becomes God's redeeming work, opus Dei. It is thus that a Christian is alter Christus, ipse Christus, another Christ, Christ himself in whatever role he plays.
Benedict XVI: Escrivá's example and teaching lead "to overcoming the great temptation of our time: the pretence that after the 'big bang' God retired from history."
According to Escrivá, the foundation of the Christian life is one's "divine filiation." Divine filiation is the Christians' fundamental state as "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pt 1:4), being children of God in Christ, the deep awareness of which brings about immense happiness: "Joy comes from knowing we are children of God." Opus Dei, Escrivá says, is "a smiling asceticism."
The biblical concept that everyone is called to sanctity was already enunciated by Augustine of Hippo, Francis of Sales, and Alphonsus Liguori, but their emphasis was on prayer and liturgical devotions, basically monastic spirituality applied to lay people. "Escrivá is more radical," writes Cardinal Luciani (1977), who later became John Paul I. "For him, it is the material work itself which must be turned into prayer and sanctity," thus providing a lay spirituality.
In the 1940s, some Jesuits led by Fr. Angel Carrillo de Albornoz, who later left the Society of Jesus, denounced Opus Dei's teachings as "a new heresy." It is not orthodox, they said, to teach that the laity can be holy without public vows and distinctive clothing. Also, these critics were concerned that Opus Dei would take away vocations from the religious orders.
Our Lady, Empress of China in Hac Sa Conference Center, China: The greatest of all saints, Escrivá taught, spent most of her days taking care of her family.
Based on reports from Spain, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Wlodimir Ledochowski (1866â€"1942), told the Vatican he considered Opus Dei "very dangerous for the Church in Spain." He described it as having a "secretive character" and saw "signs in it of a covert inclination to dominate the world with a form of Christian Masonry." Andres Vasquez de Prada: The Founder of Opus Dei. The Life of Josemaria Escrivá. Vol II: God and Daring., Scepter Publishers 1997, p. 387. This attack against Opus Dei from within well-regarded ecclesiastical circles ("the opposition by good people," Escrivá called it), which happened time and again in its history, is considered the root of present-day accusations coming from the most varied quarters. This is the conclusion of a number of writers, including John L. Allen, Jr., CNN's Vatican analyst and a Catholic American journalist, in his work Opus Dei: an Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church (2005).
Some time after the end of the Second Vatican Council, Opus Dei critics started to point out though that it has an ultraconservative and reactionary vision of the Roman Catholic faith. Award-winning journalist and controversial antitheistJohann Hari even states: "The group prescribes strict hierarchy and unquestioning obedience. Maxim 941 of The Way demands 'unreserved obedience to whoever is in charge' of the sect.... It has established itself as the praetorian guard of hard-right Catholic doctrines."
Messori and Allen say in contrast that the Opus Dei prelature does not have any doctrine other than what the Catholic Church teaches. Catholic thinkers such as George Weigel say the use of conservative, a political category, on religious, moral, or intellectual matters is "implausible and distorting." [4] These should be categorised, they say, as either faithful or heretical, good or evil, true or false. See also Benedetto Croce's comments in Messori 1997. The "handing on" (traditio) of "living faith," writes Weigel, has the "capacity to inspire innovative thinking." Opus Dei is the perfect storm, says Allen: It has become the center of the debate in the post-Vatican II polarization in Catholic politics.
Catholic personal prelature
John Paul II ordaining the first Opus Dei prelate, Bishop Alvaro del Portillo: On creating the prelature, John Paul II said Escrivá founded it "led by divine inspiration," an assertion disputed by its critics.
John Paul II established Opus Dei as a personal prelature of the Catholic Church on 28 November1982. This legal framework, the Pope said, is "perfectly suited" to Opus Dei's "true nature and theological characteristics": a unified, secular, international body of priests and lay people, both men and women, sharing the same vocation with no distinctions, under the governance of one head. Being a part of the Church's hierarchical structure, like a diocese, indicates that Opus Dei is an integral part of the Church itself, and not a mere product of voluntary association. See Fuenmayor, Amadeo; Gomez-Iglesias, Valentin; & Illanes, Jose Luis. The Canonical Path of Opus Dei. Four Courts Press 1996. This source is the basis of the canonical analysis in this section on Opus Dei's prelatic status.
However, critics, like Kenneth Woodward, the longtime religion editor and senior writer for Newsweek, observe that Opus Dei through its juridical status has become independent from Catholic Church authority, a "church within the Church." On the part of the Vatican, Msgr. Marcello Costalunga of the Congregation for Bishops says that there were "abundant replies" of support from the 2000 bishops who were consulted for this decision. Personal prelatures, similar to dioceses and military ordinariates, are under the governance of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops. These 3 types of ecclesiastical structures are composed of lay people served by their own secular clergy and prelate. Unlike dioceses which cover territories, personal prelatures â€"like military ordinariatesâ€" take charge of persons as regards some objectives regardless of where they live. 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 Ut Sit. These secular structures are very different from religious orders, which are under the Congregation for the Religious, and which take charge of nuns, monks, friars, religious priests, and lay orders that follow religious practices. As jurisdictional circumscriptions, personal prelatures were set up by the Second Vatican Council to enable the Catholic Church to organize itself better in addressing specific pastoral objectives.
Perrottet family of Sydney. Supernumeraries are inspired by the Catholic teaching that "large families are a sign of God's blessing and the parents' generosity" (CCC'' 2373).
Currently, Opus Dei has approximately 85,000 members worldwide. Opus Dei members received the same calling, and thus there are no degrees of membership, but different ways of being incorporated into the prelature depending on their circumstances. Unlike monks or priests, the members of Opus Dei are incorporated into the prelature by means of private contracts and not vows. To be incorporated into the Opus Dei prelature, one must freely ask to do so, convinced that one has received a vocation.
Supernumeraries, the largest type, currently account for about 70% of the total membership. Typically, supernumeraries are married men and women who have conventional careers and lead traditional family lives. Supernumeraries often 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 members, but they typically contribute financially to Opus Dei, and they lend other types of assistance as their circumstances permit.
Numeraries, the second largest type of members of Opus Dei, comprise about 20% of total membership. Numeraries are celibate members who usually live in special centers run by Opus Dei. Both men and women may become numeraries, although the centers are gender-segregated, with only very minimal contact between male and female numeraries. Numeraries are required to be celibate, and are encouraged to practice corporal mortification. Numeraries generally have conventional careers and devote the bulk of their income to the organization.
Numerary assistants are unmarried, female members of Opus Dei. Their professional life is dedicated to looking after the domestic needs of the centers.
Associates are unmarried, celibate members who typically have family or professional obligations. Unlike numeraries and numerary assistants, the associates do not live in the special Opus Dei centers.
The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross is the association of priests associated with Opus Dei. Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature- clergymen who remain under the jurisdiction of a geographically-defined diocese. Technically speaking, such diocesan priests have not "joined" Opus Dei membership, although they have joined a society that is closely affiliated with Opus Dei.[5]
The Cooperators of Opus Dei are those who, despite not being members of Opus Dei, 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. Indeed, cooperators are not even required to be Christian. [6]
Instruction and training
Arnold Hall Conference Center in Massachusetts. Activities such as retreats, workshops, and spiritual direction are held in places like this.
A Christian becomes a saint, according to Opus Dei's founder, through God's grace and mercy, and through the use of some principal means of sanctification: (1) interior life, activities turned into contemplation, which Jesus Christ calls "the one thing necessary" (Lk 10:42), and (2) doctrinal training, a well-reasoned understanding of God and his ordered work as revealed in the Catholic faith, now presented by Benedict XVI as the religion of the Logos (the Word: meaning and reason). Escrivá says one cannot love someone who is not known. Thus Escrivá says Christians should have "the piety of children and the sure doctrine of theologians."
He holds that the "paramount means of formation" is personal coaching through spiritual direction, a practice which has its roots in the early Church. According to Cornelio Fabro, eminent Italian philosopher, Opus Dei's training fosters the human virtues, habits which are developed through the repetition of free decisions in one's activities and professionalwork. These habits of human excellence, including love for the truth, courage, and generosity, are the "foundation," Escrivá says, of the supernatural virtues of faith and love for God. Escrivá always stressed the importance of "the free and responsible personal action of each member." Fabro says Escrivá "restored the true concept of Christian freedom...After centuries of Christian spiritualities based on the priority of obedience, he taught that obedience was the consequence and fruit of freedom." It is to be noted though that this Catholic-Thomistic notion of "freedom for excellence" is different from the secular notion of "free choice" as having the highest value.
Actual practice
After one year of research among members of Opus Dei, Allen said that for the most part, despite the errors and sins they commit, he found them to be really striving to practice what they preached. The barbers and bus drivers he met are very hardworking and competent, their life of prayer and evangelization "seamlessly" combining with their work. [7]
Toni Zweifel, Swiss engineer, a numerary of Opus Dei, whose process of beatification has been opened.
As for the founder, John Paul II declared: "Faithful to the charism he had received, he gave an example of heroism in the most ordinary situations." Stating that Escrivá is "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity," [8] John Paul II canonized him on 6 October2002, and called him "the saint of ordinary life." In his Decree of Canonization, the Pope referred to short prayers in which "one can trace the entire life story" of the new saint: Lord, that I might see! Lady, that it might be! All with Peter to Jesus through Mary. We want Christ to reign! All the glory to God!
However, Escrivá's canonization sparked controversy. Critics such as Kenneth Woodward said he was undeserving and that the process of canonization was lightning fast and marred by irregularities. Historian Eamon Duffy of Cambridge University stated: "The canonization of the founder of Opus Dei is the most striking example in modern times of the successful promotion of a cause by a pressure group." On the other hand, Fr. Rafael Perez, an Augustinian priest and an expert on canonizations, states it was the promoters' efficiency, the reforms in the canonization process, and the importance of Escrivá's figure in the Church that enabled the process to move quickly, although in terms of the number of sessions it was the longest to date. Philip Zaleski, a writer on spirituality, said the opposition to saints such as JosemarÃa Escrivá may even undercut efforts to enhance the role of the laity in the life of the Church. [9]
There are other members of Opus Dei whose process of beatification has been opened: Ernesto Cofiño, a father of five children and a pioneer in pediatric research in Guatemala; Montserrat Grases, a teenage Catalan student who died of cancer, offering up her life cheerfully; Toni Zweifel, a Swiss engineer, and Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, Escrivá's successor as head of Opus Dei.
Together with these developments, there is also a good number of former members who are highly critical of the organization and have set up websites such as the Opus Dei Awareness Network (ODAN)and Opus Libros to inform people about the true practices of Opus Dei, characterized as having elements of a cult. Some also report that Opus Dei attempted to suppress information through legal pressure or slandering. Allen says on the other hand that their views are countered by many other ex-members, the present members, and the estimated 900,000 people who attend activities of Opus Dei. Allen says that the interpretation of the facts "seems to depend upon one's basic approach to spirituality, family life, and the implications of a religious vocation." Some of the most prominent sociologists like ReaderEmeritus of Sociology of the University of Oxford, Bryan R. Wilson, put in doubt the testimonies of a type of critical former members. Wilson goes so far as to say, for example, that some of these adult members who are "prone to bias" sometimes "learn to rehearse an atrocity story" so as "to regain their self-esteem." Wilson, Bryan. (3 December1994) Apostates and New Religious Movements, Oxford, England. See also Controversy over the validity of the testimonies of critical members of religious organizations.
The Calling of Saint Matthew, a professional tax-collector: While parents complain of separation from their children, the Catechism 2253 states: "Parents must teach that the first calling of the Christian is to follow Jesus."
Ex-members also report of aggressive recruitment whereby members initially hide their links to Opus Dei, persuade recruits not to tell their families, or maintain contact with their families, forbidding phone calls, and use threats of condemnation. While there were indeed mistakes committed during the early years of Opus Dei, Allen says "Opus Dei is not the voracious recruiting machine of myth." The allegations regarding recruitment come mainly from concerned family members and have resulted for example in the recommendations for Opus Dei by Basil Cardinal Hume. Hume said that Escrivá "anticipated the Vatican Council" and clarified that his recommendations "must not be seen as a criticism" of Opus Dei but "in the light of local customs." Regarding complaints on separation from parents and friends, Richard John Neuhaus writes that this is about an "intergenerational conflict that has been around from the beginning of time," a conflict that involves "innumerable young people, including recognized saints." The Catechism teaches: "Parents must remember and teach that the first vocation of the Christian is to follow Jesus: 'He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.' (Mt 10:37)"[10]
Opus Dei is also accused of high control of members through tight schedules and internal confessors. In fact, Allen reports that "there's a degree of structure for members, especially numeraries that many people would find suffocating. Numeraries generally do not go to movies or sporting events, they are expected to consult an Opus Dei 'data base' before reading certain books, they make interventions in one another's lives called 'fraternal corrections,' and so on." He also states: "The vast majority of members I met seemed healthy, well-adjusted, intelligent, running their own lives, and posing no threat to themselves or to others. I never had the impression, however, that anyone was being subjected to this regime by coercion or "mind control." For the most part, members seem to experience this structure as liberating rather than confining, helping them become the kind of person they wish to be." He also reported on Opus Dei's policy of "delicate respect" for each person's freedom that Escrivá practised and preached.
Mortification in Opus Dei
Closeup of a cilice-- a small metal chain with inwardly-pointing spikes: a modern Catholic version of traditional penance such as the sackcloth and the hairshirt.
Much public attention has focused on Opus Dei's encouragement of the practice of mortification-- the offering up of discomfort or pain to God. This pain or discomfort is voluntary. Mortification has a long history in many world religions including the Catholic Church, but the practice has become rare among most modern Christians, although John Allen reports that its practice in the Catholic Church is fairly widespread, having been used by modern saints such as Mother Teresa and Padre Pio, and also continual throughout its history as a way of pursuing Christ's penitential purpose, following his advice: "renounce yourself, take up the cross daily, and follow me." John Paul II states in his Apostolic Letter on the Salvific Meaning of Suffering : "Suffering, more than anything else, makes present in the history of humanity the powers of the Redemption." Unlike other issues about Opus Dei, says Allen, the issue of corporal mortification cannot be easily resolved even after long investigation and reflection, for it deliberately goes against the tide in the contemporary world.
Numeraries in Opus Dei practice several forms of mortification. Many are small acts of discomfort or sacrifice such as taking a cold shower, sleeping without a pillow or sleeping on the floor, fasting, or remaining silent for certain hours during the day. Some forms are more extreme, for example, once a week, numeraries briefly flail themselves with a small rope whip called a "discipline".
One of the most-discussed forms of mortification involves the use of a cilice-- a small metal chain with inwardly-pointing spikes that is worn around their upper thigh. The cilice's spikes cause pain and may leave small marks, but typically do not cause bleeding. Numeraries in Opus Dei generally wear a cilice for two hours each day. Escriva is known for having preached: "Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain... Glorify pain!" viewed by some as a sado-masochistic utterance and by others as a statement of union with the saving pains of Jesus Christ. Critics have cited mortification as one of the reasons for their opposition to Opus Dei.
Romana, the official bulletin of the Opus Dei prelature which contains information on its members, their activities, the prelate and directors.
Popes and many Catholic leaders see Opus Dei as one among many ecclesial charisms whose task is to enable lay Catholics to sanctify society. Evangelization in Opus Dei is done one-on-one through its "apostolate of friendship and confidence." The main strategy, according to Escrivá's teaching, is that each Christian must strive to become a "canonizable saint," another Christ redeeming all men and women, and thus also a responsible citizen who works for the common good. Because if Christians are not well-ordered from within, he says, if they do not put God first through a life of contemplation, they will be merely spreading their disorder to other people. "These world crises," he says, "are crises of saints."
"The easiest way to understand Opus Dei," Escrivá told Time Magazine, "is to consider the life of the early Christians. They lived their Christian vocation seriously, seeking earnestly the holiness to which they had been called by their baptism. Externally they did nothing to distinguish themselves from their fellow citizens." From the point of view of Hans Küng, however, in his The Catholic Church: A Short History (2002), Opus Dei is a "reactionary secret political and theological organisation." Küng is the President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic and a prolific Swiss theologian whose license as a Catholic theologian was withdrawn in 1979. Opus Dei is secretive, says Fr. James Martin S.J., in its recruitment, internal affairs, and finances.
On the other hand, Allen states, with the abundant information it provides, Opus Dei cannot be called secretive. This allegation, he says, is a misunderstanding of Opus Dei's charism, its "avoidance of self-aggrandizement," its respect for the right to privacy and intimacy of its members, and its novel secular nature. In the same way that Catholic professionals are not official representatives of their parishes or alma maters, the faithful of the prelature do not set up official Catholic institutions but rather act in their own name as private citizens. Allen claims that the "myths" regarding secrecy, conspiracies, and power-seeking are very out-dated, having been started by certain Jesuits in the 1940s who failed to grasp Opus Dei's newness. To improve its image, Allen recommended that Opus Dei should be more transparent, collaborate with religious orders, and its members should air out in public their criticism of the institution. However, in his review of Allen's work, "Let There be Light" () Paul Baumann says that Allen's recommendations, which are based on a liberal and Anglo-Saxon cultural prism, still constitute a misinterpretation of Opus Dei's identity.
Profile of members and their activities
Opus Dei's central headquarters is on Viale Bruno Buozzi 75, Rome. The Vatican Yearbook of 2004 states that it has around 85,000 members, about 1,900 of whom are priests. Members are distributed as follows: Africa 1600; Asia and the Pacific 4700; North and South America 29,000; Europe 48,700. Opus Dei members, says Messori, are mostly from the middle and lower classes. Their social composition usually corresponds with the local situation, he says, since all honest trades can be sanctified. He also says there are more teachers and professors among its ranks than the normal social composition because of Opus Dei's emphasis on the cultural apostolate.
Members of Opus Dei and their friends in Condoray Centre, Peru: Opus Dei members, says Messori, are mostly from the middle and lower classes.
Meanwhile, critics accuse Opus Dei of elitism. "Opus Dei has consistently sided with the powerful against the weak, theologically and politically," says Johann Hari. "Opus Dei has been a major force on the Catholic right opposing social change." Robert Hutchinson (1999) stated that it has become very powerful and is "the Catholic Church's paramount financial power." Opus Dei has been called the "Holy Mafia" or the "Octopus Dei."
As a result of his research, Allen says on the other hand that while the main apostolate and social work of the members takes place through their daily relationships, they also cooperate with other people in setting up many social initiatives. According to his 2005 study, there are at least 608 such projects in different countries guided by Opus Dei laity and priests: 41% of these are primary and secondary schools, 26% vocational-technical or agricultural training schools, 27% university residences, and the remaining 6% are 17 universities, 12 business schools and 8 hospitals. For more information regarding corporate works of Opus Dei and apostolic initiatives of members of Opus Dei all over the world, please see Corporate Works of Opus Dei.
He also reports that the worldwide revenue of Opus Dei is only that of a mid-sized American diocese. He says Opus Dei has only 39 bishops out of the 4,564 in the world. And there are only 20 members working in the Vatican, out of 3920 people in total who work there. John Cardinal O'Connor said: "I believe it critical to dispel the notion which borders on calumny that Opus Dei is concerned only about the wealthy and the well educated." Allen says Opus Dei's assets in the United States are estimated to be at $344 million, compared with an annual revenue for the Catholic Church in the US of $102 billion. By comparison, General Motors has assets of $455 billion. As to real estate, Opus Dei has not much need for it, Messori states, since "the great majority of Opus Dei members continue to live their everyday lives in their own homes." For more information on the financial matters of Opus Dei, please see Information Handbook on the Opus Dei Prelature. Scott Appleby, a Catholic history expert at Notre Dame, estimates that through programs for nonmembers and the articulate piety of its members, Opus Dei informs "about a million conservative Catholics" in the U.S.
Relation with politics
John Allen told Newsweek: "There's a cardinal principle behind Opus Dei that it can never take political positions corporately. It would compromise the notion of secularityâ€"that political thinking is something for lay people to do, not for a church organization to do. Therefore, on questions that don't deal with faith and morals, there's great pluralism."
Antonio Fontan: Persecuted by Franco, he later became the first Senate President of Spain's democracy
However, the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 2003 states that Opus Dei in Spain "gained national importance after the civil war, when it received support from the government of Francisco Franco. In the 1950s and 60s it replaced the Falange as the most important conservative political and religious force in Spain." Sir Raymond Carr, one of the leading authorities on Spanish history, and Juan Pablo Fusi wrote in 1979: It was the Opus which emerged as the ‘organised' Catholic support to Francoism, backed, as its members were, by the most trusted of Franco's ministers."
Messori (1997), who investigated the claim that Opus Dei is a kind of political party which supported Franco, says this is a longstanding "black legend" spread by the Falange and some clerical sectors. He and Allen state that of the 116 ministers of Franco, only 8 were members. According to English historian Paul Preston (1993), these belong to different political persuasions and Franco appointed them for their technical competence and not for their membership in Opus Dei.Preston, Paul, Franco. A Biography, London: HarperCollins, 1993, p. 669. Another historian, Brian Crozier, states that Opus Dei "is not, as its enemies either think or want others to think, a political party; nor is it a political pressure group...Opus Dei was not a group to be conciliated by being given a share in power, as the Monarchists were, or the Falange, or the Army."Crozier, Brian, Franco, A Biographical History, Little, Brown and Company 1967. German historian Peter Berglar, an Opus Dei member, says that it is a "gross slander" to connect Opus Dei with Franco's regime, since the latter prosecuted some prominent members of Opus Dei, including Rafael Calvo Serer, and Antonio Fontan who fought for press freedom and democracy, and later became the first Senate President of Spain's democracy. Fr. V. Felzmann, a former member, goes so far as to claim that Escrivá had a certain admiration for Hitler. Dozens of witnesses, meanwhile, including non-members, contradict Felzmann. They say Escrivá boldly condemned Hitler's pagan, racist totalitarianism. Allen states: Although Escrivá was staunchly nonpolitical and "two of the most visible Opus Dei politicians in the world are now women who belong to center-left parties," "Word from Rome," National Catholic Reporter,14 April2006 "still there is a sociological reality that the kind of people attracted to Opus Dei tend to be conservative, theologically and politically."
St. Peter's Square on the day of St. JosemarÃa's canonization.
The response of society to Opus Dei has been mixed. Allen, who has travelled around the world, said that "Escrivá is reviled by some and venerated by millions more." Opus Dei, p. 43. One-third of the world's bishops sent letters petitioning for the canonization of Escrivá, the Vatican stated. This number and the number of people who attended the canonization were unprecedented, says Messori.
For its part, ODAN reports that wherever Opus Dei is, there is controversy. Opus Dei received world attention with the publication of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. He said that he based his book on some writings critical of Opus Dei. Examples of such writings are: (1) Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Secret Society Struggling for Power Within the Roman Catholic Church, by former Jesuit Michael Walsh, who adduces a number of conspiracy theories and scandals, (2) People of God by Penny Lernoux; and (3) "Catholic Sects: Opus Dei" by sociologist A. Moncada, an ex-numerary. There are other such writings found on the webpage of ODAN. Also "Parent's Guide to Opus Dei" by J. Garvey, a parent of two numeraries. Garvey compares Opus Dei practices to the practices of sects outlined in the Vatican Report: Sects or New Religious Movements: A Pastoral Challenge; La otra cara del Opus Dei by ex-numerary Maria Angustias Moreno, and Beyond the Threshold written by ex-numerary Maria Carmen del Tapia. Opus Dei is also listed on several sites of cult research organizations and cult observer groups. Indeed, ex-members, liberal Catholics and some secularists have come together to work against Opus Dei. They criticize what they perceive as its power and wealth, its secrecy, its being a church within the church, its ties to right-wing politics and m, its "questionable practices" such as corporal mortification, aggressive recruitment and high control of its members.
Depicted as a dangerous cult in the The Da Vinci Code, Opus Dei is the prime target of secularists and liberals, says sociologist Massimo Introvigne, since they "cannot tolerate the 'return to religion'" of the secularized society.
Another view is proffered by Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a prolific sociologist whose works appear in 12 scientific journals and is a member of the Alleanza Catolica. He said that these texts are "of very poor scientific quality." In 1994, he stated that the above mentioned critics use the term "cult" in order to attach a stigma against Opus Dei which has been their "prime target for years." Secularist groups fight Opus Dei, he says, because "they cannot tolerate 'the return to religion'" of the secularized society. Since secularists deny truth exists, even in religious matters, he says, mainline scientists reject the reports of anti-cult activists as "unscholarly," including their method of labelling organisations.Anti-Catholicism, which Protestant scholar Philip Jenkins calls the "last acceptable prejudice" in the West, is another factor in this fight.
IESE Business School of the University of Navarra: rated one of the top business schools by The Financial Times and The Economist.
Opus Dei's influence in society, said Escrivá, is not socio-economic but ethical. However, in "Preserving Power and Privilege: The Vatican's Agenda in the European Union," a report of Catholics for a Free Choice, Opus Dei is categorised together with Neocatechumenal Way, Focolare, Legion of Christ, Community of St. John, Charismatic Renewal, and Communion and Liberation, among Catholic groups having "neoconservative or fundamentalist moral and political beliefs," "extremely traditionalist," and "pre-enlightenment" messages for society. Liberals and secularists argue that Opus Dei and these groups are opposing modern concepts such as gay marriages, divorce, contraception, and abortion.
* Berglar, Peter (1994). Opus Dei. Life and Work of its Founder. Scepter. â€" in-depth historical study; available on-line * â€" in-depth juridical study * â€" a basic text; a French scholar's synthesis * â€" in-depth ecclesiological study *Pakaluk, Michael (June 1978). "Opus Dei In Everyday Life". The Family. â€" a typical day in the life of a member of Opus Dei
