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Founder of Opus Dei: Saint Josemaría Escrivá

The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, commonly known as Opus Dei (Latin "The Work of God"), is a Roman Catholic organization founded on October 2, 1928, by Josemaría Escrivá, a Spanish priest who was later canonized by Pope John Paul II.

The geographical extent of Opus Dei is remarkable. Opus Dei has approximately 85,430 members in eighty countries, with central offices in Rome. The priests of Opus Dei also serve as bishops in various dioceses throughout the world, including the United States, Europe, South America, and Africa. In 1982 it was erected as a Personal Prelature by Pope John Paul II, who also canonized its founder on October 6, 2002.

The professed aim of Opus Dei is "to contribute to [the] evangelizing mission of the Church" by spreading the universal call to holiness and apostolate"; it "encourages Christians of all social classes to live consistently with their faith, in the middle of the ordinary circumstances of their lives, especially through the sanctification of their work." [1]

Critics have described Opus Dei as a secretive, authoritarian organization; or even a cult, especially because of its practice of mortification of the flesh. They have highlighted its alleged links to right-wing and fascistic organizations worldwide. Some commentators have called it "one of the most controversial groups in the Catholic Church today."

Foundation and mission

Opus Dei was founded by St. Josemaria Escriva, who as a young lad saw "footprints in the snow" left by a monk walking in winter. This brought about, according to Escriva, "inklings" that God wanted him to do something. After years of trying to find out what it was, on 2 October 1928, Escriva, a priest by then, supposedly "saw Opus Dei."

The mission of Opus Dei, in the words of the founder, 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 apostolate. 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." [2]

Its main activity is to "give a Christian formation to its members and to other people who wish to receive it." [3] Escrivá summarized the organization's role as "a great catechesis."

Summary of Opus Dei's teachings

Opus Dei's teachings have been taken up, according to Catholic officials, by the Second Vatican Council which states that "All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life...by reason of their special vocation, it belongs to the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in the affairs of the world and directing them according to God's will." [4] Thus, these teachings do not lie outside mainstream traditional Roman Catholic spiritual and ascetic theology. These teachings form a lay spirituality, [5] and help build the spirit or culture which is practised in the Work.

The following are the main features of the founder's spiritual teachings, the basis of Opus Dei's message.

Opus Dei members feel called to find God in work and daily life and stay close to Him, following Jesus, who worked as a carpenter and lived as a son of a Jewish family in a small village for 30 years. "There is something holy, something divine, hidden in the most ordinary situations," Escriva once preached, "and it is up to each of you to discover it." [6])

Whatever work they do is to be done with a spirit of excellence as an effective service for the needs of society. Their work then becomes a fitting offering to God. In his work of service, Jesus Christ "did all things well." (Mk 7:37) By allowing God to transform them into "other Christs," Christians can (and should!), says Escriva, become saints and apostles right there where they work and live.

Escriva preached that Christians should love freedom because God the Son himself, on becoming man, took on human freedom. He sanctified mankind through love: by freely giving himself, "obeying" his Father's will throughout his ordinary life, "until death on the cross." (Phil 2,8) Escriva notes that Jesus "gave himself, because he wanted to." (Is 53,7) Through his freedom, each man controls and shapes his life, being responsible for cooperating or not with God's loving plan of holiness. Recognizing such great dignity, Christians should therefore delicately respect the freedom of others, be open to a pluralism of opinions, and give themselves, with full freedom and personal responsibility, to God and neighbor. [7]

Love, the essence of sanctity and apostolate, is nurtured by constant child-like prayer which is supported by norms of piety involving the Eucharist, the Bible, and the Virgin Mary. Mortification, "prayer of the senses," is especially done by striving to practice all the human virtues, such as being kind, hardworking, sincere and cheerful despite difficulties and failures. "Do everything for Love. Thus there will be no little things: everything will be big...[8]'Great' holiness consists in carrying out the 'little duties' of each moment." [9]) These actions are co-offered in the Holy Mass, the same redeeming sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Sanctifying grace flows down especially through communion and confession.

Members are to give the highest importance to the virtue of charity: being understanding and caring for each person. Included is service towards the needy in society and the practice of human courtesy, refinement, warmth, affection and fraternal correction. [10] Love, which should be orderly, starts by performing one's duties well and is first directed towards the Pope. And it overflows when one generously gives the best to people, bringing them closer to their Father God, source of peace and joy.

To describe the practical result of his teachings, Escrivá frequently used the phrase "unity of life," an imitation of Jesus Christ, both fully God and fully man: no double life--prayer not divorced from daily work. [11]

According to Escriva, the foundation of Opus Dei's spirituality is what he calls "divine filiation," the Christian's fundamental status as a son of God, a deep awareness of which brings about a good kind of "superiority complex" [12] and a "supernatural outlook."

Opus Dei's spirituality commits lay people to sanctify themselves in the same place where they were before they met Opus Dei. Even more, Opus Dei supporters say, their place in the world is the means for their sanctification. (Rodriguez et al 1994) "Our cell is the street," Escriva used to say. (Fuenmayor et al 1996; Berglar 1994, p. 301-326)

For another exposition of these main teachings, see the Opus Dei website [13]. See also Holiness and the World: Studies in the Teachings of Blessed Josemariá, 1997, particularly the article written by moral theologian Prof. William May [14].

A personal prelature of the Catholic Church

Those who practice the teachings of Opus Dei and feel called to to a special vocation form what canon law scholars call a "spiritual family." This family, of which Escriva was the head, had to find a legal structure that fits its foundational idea so that its specific path within the Catholic Church can be assured through time. Due to the novelty of Opus Dei's teachings and its organizational characteristics plus the purported inadequacy of available legal structures in the Church at the time of its foundation, it took many years of twists and turns (1928-1982) before Opus Dei was granted the legal framework that would fit its founding idea. And so it was on 28 November 1982, that Catholic Church established Opus Dei as personal prelature, a framework envisioned in Vatican II, saying that it is "perfectly suited to Opus Dei." [15] See also [16].

In his constitutional document Ut sit establishing Opus Dei as a personal prelature, Pope John Paul II said that Opus Dei was founded through Escrivá in 1928 "by divine inspiration." The prelature was given a double purpose: (1) to form and assist its members to respond to their vocation and personal commitment to practice a demanding Christian life, and (2) to spread God's specific message that all Christians are called to holiness and apostolate in the middle of the world by virtue of their baptism, emphasizing the sanctifying value of ordinary work. [17] (Fuenmayor et al 1996, Rodriguez et al 1994)

According to John Paul II, this canonical structure is consistent with what he calls specific characteristics of Opus Dei: the organization is international in scope and under one head. It includes both clergy and laity working as one with no distinctions of class of membership between them. It is for men and women who are common laity or secular priests. Being a part of the Church's hierarchical structure, like a diocese, indicates that Opus Dei is a part of the Church itself, and not a mere product of voluntary association. (See also Fuenmayor et al 1996, p. 34-41)

Like dioceses and military ordinariates, personal prelatures are under the governance of the Congregation for Bishops, for they take charge of lay people with its own secular clergy and prelate, unlike the religious orders which are under the Congregation for the Religious, because they take charge of nuns, monks, friars, religious priests, and lay orders which follow religious practices.

Like the military ordinariates, personal prelatures take care of persons with some particular objectives, regardless of diocesan geographical boundaries.

The authority of the Opus Dei prelate over the organization's members is restricted to their spiritual and apostolic commitments in pursuit of the prelature's mission. The work of the prelature and the dioceses are not meant to conflict. As Catholic faithful whose vocation is to sanctify their ordinary situation both civil and ecclesial, the lay members of Opus Dei, in the words of the Apostolic Constitution Ut Sit [18], "continue to be faithful of the dioceses...and are, therefore, under the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop in what the law lays down for all the ordinary faithful."

Vocation and membership

The Vatican Yearbook indicates that Opus Dei has 85,000 members about 1,900 of whom are priests. Of these 1,900 priests, 25 are bishops working in various dioceses throughout Europe, South America, Africa and the United States. Members are distributed geographically as follows: Africa 1600; Asia and the Pacific 4700; Americas, North and South 29,000; Europe 48,700.

It is said that they have "one vocation", because they are called to "have the same apostolic goal...practice the same spirit and ascetical means." (Statutes 6. See Ocariz in Opus Dei in the Church p. 113). Because of this "oneness of vocation," Opus Dei purportedly says that it has "a Christian family atmosphere": family warmth, simplicity, confidence, spirit of service among the members. For some this terminology of having "one vocation" is mainly a way of saying that Opus Dei is one organization, as contrasted with traditional Catholic Religious Familes, which are confederations of different organizations with similar charisms and/or founders.

As they are not religious nor consecrated persons like the clergy, the lay members of Opus Dei are incorporated into the prelature by means of private contracts and not vows. To be incorporated in to the prelature, one must freely ask to do so, convinced that he has received a vocation. The request is made in writing and has to be accepted by the prelature's authorities. Admission is granted after a minimum of six months. After an additional period of at least one year, the person can be temporarily incorporated into the prelature through a formal declaration of a contractual nature, which is renewable yearly. After a minimum of five more years, the incorporation can become definitive.

According to the official literature, "there are no categories of membership in Opus Dei....There are, however, different ways of living that same Christian vocation, according to different circumstances." These differentiating circumstances especially refer to the degree of their availability to be involved in the prelature's formational and apostolic tasks. (See Thierry 1975)

Opus Dei additionally has many "cooperators," these are non-members who assist its activities through prayer, donations, or other means. Among these cooperators, Opus Dei says, there are some who are not Catholic, or not even Christian, e.g. Lutherans, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims. Religious communities as a whole can also be appointed as cooperators.

Supernumeraries

Most of the members are supernumeraries, currently about 70% of total membership. Generally they are married men or women, for whom the sanctification of their family duties is the "most important business," in the words of the Escriva. Supernumeraries are the least available for the formational tasks but assist in them as their circumstances permit. Married or unmarried, they live wherever they want. Theirs is not a second class membership.

The rest of the members are men and women who commit themselves to celibacy.

Numeraries

Numeraries, who comprise less than 20% of the membership, live in celibacy so as to be totally available to the formational tasks of the prelature. The term numerary is taken from Spanish and Latin American academe and government. Numeraries in Opus Dei consider Opus Dei as their family, to which they devote all their earnings. As a general rule, they live in Opus Dei centers. Most of them have secular jobs, but for some their professional work is to direct the apostolic activities of Opus Dei. The numeraries are the primary givers of spiritual direction to the rest of the membership.

Cilice - Mortification belt used by many Catholic organizations, especially monastic orders

In addition to the practice of celibacy, the numerary members follow practices of mortification of the flesh. (See below for more information on these practices).

It is generally from the numeraries that the prelate calls men to the priesthood. When a man becomes a numerary, he does so with the willingness to consider becoming a priest if the prelate should ever ask him. A male numerary may also ask to pursue ordination.

Associates

Associates also live in celibacy, but they typically do not live in Opus Dei facilities. Their personal circumstances do not permit them to be as available to the prelature's work as a numerary. The prelate can also ask them to become priests; they are free to decline.

Numerary assistants

There is another type of member among the women of Opus Dei called "numerary assistant". They practice celibacy and attend to the domestic needs of the centers of Opus Dei, both for the men and for the women. Since there is only one vocation, they are equal to the rest of the membership. And because of the importance of material things in transmitting the "incarnate" Christianity of Opus Dei, Escriva used to call their work as "the apostolate of apostolates."

Priestly Society of the Holy Cross

This is an association of clergy intrinsically united to Opus Dei which they say promotes brotherhood among priests and their personal sanctification. It is made up first of all of the clergy of the prelature who are automatically members. Secondly, it is made up of diocesan priests and deacons. The prelate of Opus Dei is the president of the society.

To be admitted to this society, a secular priest should be convinced that he has been called to sanctify his priestly work according to the spirit of Opus Dei. This spirit involves obedience and veneration for his bishop and unity with the members of the diocesan clergy.

These diocesan clergy of the Priestly Society are not incardinated into the presbyterate of the prelature. He depends solely on his bishop and just receives spiritual help from the Society to fulfill his priestly duties well. (Thierry 1975)

There are some 2000 deacons and priests, aside from the prelature's priests, who belong to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross.

Formation and training

Opus Dei emphasises doctrinal formation, instruction in the revealed truths of the Catholic religion. Their founder taught that Christians should have "the piety of children and the sure doctrine of theologians." [19] The Vatican's Code of Particular Law for Opus Dei, known as its Statutes, states: "the instruction of the members is presented in a way that is in complete conformity with the Magisterium of the Church." (See Fuenmayor 1994; Messori 1997, p. 157)

Since all the members have received the same vocation, "being contemplatives in the middle of the world," they receive essentially the same doctrinal, theological formation, spiritual and ascetical formation whether they are men or women, young or old, university graduates or not, well-to-do or needy, laymen or priests. Escriva referred to having the "same cooking pot" for his children. Their theological and philosophical formation include courses on the History of the Church, Christology, Sacraments, Liturgy, Metaphysics, and Anthropology. Numerary members receive a more intense formation due to their formational duties.

Spiritual and ascetical training is intended to develop the member's life of piety and to foster their practice of the human virtues. (See Romano 1995; Le Tourneau 2002) All their formation is geared towards teaching them to walk along the wide road of Catholicism with maximum pluralism. "There are no dogmas in temporal matters," says Escriva. However, whatever they do has to be always consistent with their faith: "Nonsectarianism. Neutrality. Those old myths that always try to seem new. Have you ever bothered to think how absurd it is to leave one's Catholicism aside on entering a university, or a professional association, or a scholarly meeting, or Congress, as if you were checking your hat at the door?" [20]

Novelty of doctrine

Opus Dei has received both high praise and numerous criticisms.

John Paul II said that Opus Dei "anticipated the theology of the lay state, which is a characteristic mark of the Church of the Council and after the Council." He described its aim as "a great ideal" and its message as both timely and timeless. Benedict XVI, 3 years before becoming Pope, said that Escriva's message that he is but an instrument of God's own work is "an extremely important message...that leads to overcoming the great temptation of our time: the pretense that after the 'big bang' God retired from history."

Other Church officials and a number of historians of theology have said that Opus Dei has an innovative and revolutionary theological doctrine and anthropology, teachings which will have a decisive influence in the future of the Church and the world. These attempt to provide ordinary people, the great bulk of the world-wide Church, a "truly lay spirituality" which can take them to heights of sanctity, and not just a religious spirituality applied to lay people. Its teaching on the universal call to sanctity, a doctrine which was half-forgotten for most of Christian history, has become a leitmotif of contemporary Christianity. (Illanes 1982) Cardinals and Vatican observers have called Escrivá a "precursor of Vatican II," an Ecumenical Council which made this teaching one of its centerpieces. For a longer discussion and quotes from Catholic leaders, please see Opus Dei and Catholic Church Leaders.

In the work of spreading this message marked by novelty, Opus Dei supporters say, the Work faced challenges, misunderstandings and controversies, leading some observers of religious phenomena to see Opus Dei as a "sign of contradiction." (See [21]; O'Connor 1991, p. 1993) Some commentators say that Opus Dei is "one of the most controversial groups in the Catholic Church today."

Some traditionalist observers, especially during the 1940's when the organization was starting to develop, condemned Opus Dei's teachings as "a heresy," for saying that ordinary laity can be holy without the protection of cloisters and the support given by public vows and some distinctive clothing like habits.

Prof. Joan Estruch, the Research Director of the Department of Sociology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona says that Opus Dei's teachings and mission radically evolved through time depending on the social circumstances. Escriva at one point just wanted to modernize Spain. Estruch also says that Opus Dei just copied the methods of the Society of Jesus. [22]

On the other hand, James V. Schall, S.J. says that Estruch's analysis, like that of many sociologists tackling religious phenomena, is flawed. Using a quote from Leo Strauss, Schall says that Estruch's conclusions are "generated by purely subjective value judgments or arbitrary preferences." [23]

Some critics also belittle the writings of the founder, saying that they are "less than scintillating" and that his maxims are as trite as those found in almanacs. (Martin 1999) Opus Dei supporters, on the other hand, refer to the votes of the theological consultors for Escriva's canonization, some of whom referred to his writings as having "the temper of the Fathers of the Church."

Allegations of ultra-conservatism

Opus Dei has been criticized, by both secular and non-Catholic religious groups, for promoting an overly conservative or reactionary vision of the Roman Catholic faith. They say that Opus Dei's loyalty to the Pope is "too unswerving" and that the outlook of the members is overly spiritual or supernatural. (Walsh 1989) The late Hans Urs von Balthasar, considered as one of greatest theologians of the 20th century, discussed Opus Dei in an article entitled "Fundamentalism" and he described it as "a concentration of fundamentalist power in the Church." He classifies Opus Dei's teaching as integrism, an attempt to impose spiritual values through worldly means. He based his negative views on his study of Escriva's main book, The Way, which von Balthasar did not consider of sufficient spiritual depth for its worldwide goals.

Church officials and some analysts say that conservative is mainly and originally a political category which is misapplied when linked to religious, moral, or intellectual matters. These should be categorized as either faithful or heretical, good or evil, true or false. (Messori 1997, Weigel 1999) The present prelate, Bishop Javier Echevarria also says that everything in the Church is "conservative," for it conserves the Gospel of Christ. Similarly, everything in it is "progressive" because she looks toward the future, puts faith in young people, seeks no privileges, and is close to the poor. [24] Messori says that von Balthasar later retracted his views after more in-depth study, and even defended Opus Dei against attacks.

Feminist criticism

Critics in Ireland, including some ex-Opus Dei members, accused the organisation of 'sexist exploitation' of women, whom they claimed were restricted in Opus Dei run hostels to doing manual work such as cooking and cleaning and denied any role in leadership.

In response, supporters say that men and women are equal in Opus Dei, with half the leadership positions being held by women.

Radical demands on members and allegations of being a cult

One of Escriva's favorite teachings was the biblical injunction on loving God with one's whole heart, soul and might, a love which does not keep anything back, a kind of love which parents are supposed to transmit all day long to their children (Deut 6:4-9), and which Christ said is the "greatest commandment." (Mt 22:37-40) [25] "Christian faith and calling affect our whole existence, not just a part of it," he said in one of his published homilies. "Our relations with God necessarily demand giving ourselves, giving ourselves completely." [26] This, for Escriva is the "good use of freedom, when it finds its true meaning...put in the service of the truth which redeems" [27]

According to Opus Dei supporters and Catholic officials, these teachings are Christ's who demanded it from all his disciples. Jesus "asks for a radical choice: to gain the kingdom, one must give everything. (Mt 13:44-45)" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 546). John Paul II emphasized that Catholics should proclaim God's Word "without ever hiding the most radical demands of the Gospel message." (Novo Millennio Ineunte 40)

Due to the radical demands of Opus Dei, some critics accuse it of acting as a religious cult within the Church.

They suggest that Opus Dei shows characteristic cult behavior such as:

aggressive recruitment methods - includes love bombing techniques, monitoring of members' recruitment efforts, formation of recruitment teams and strategies
undue pressure to join - vocational crises are staged; threats are issued: saying no to a calling leads to a life of misery
lack of informed consent on the part of the new recruits - they vaguely commit themselves to a certain "spirit of the Work"
encouraging members to relinquish contact with their friends and families in favour of contacts within the group
controlling the environment of the member; loss of freedom of the members
threatening members when they try to leave. The strongest form of threat is the threat of condemnation. ie it is not a physical but psychological threat.
making members focus on efforts in favor of the growth of the group. The most important job for an Opus Dei member is to attract other people to become members too. His social life, the circles that he frequents, the kinds of people he tries to become a friend of, is always geared towards proselytism.
requiring numerary members to perform what critics view as highly suspicious practices such as mortification of the flesh, involving the use of the cilice and the discipline [28]; its founder is frequently alleged by critics to have whipped himself until there was blood on the walls. In his writings, he stated: "Blessed be pain. Loved be pain. Sanctified be pain. . . Glorified be pain!" (The Way, point 208)

(See Opus Dei Awareness Network, Inc. an organization "founded in 1991 to meet the growing demand for accurate information about Opus Dei and to provide education, outreach and support to people who have been adversely affected by Opus Dei." "ODAN has been in contact with countless individuals, families, the secular and religious press, clergy, religious, cult awareness organizations, campus ministers, home-schooling parents and more." ODAN has the support of former members of Opus Dei and their parents. It provides a venue for people who left Opus Dei to discuss their views. [29])

A sociologist and doctor in law, Alberto Moncada, a former member of Opus Dei who was a founding Pro-Rector of an Opus Dei related university in Latin America, says that Opus Dei is an "intraecclesial" sect, because for the Vatican "radical rightist groups and fundamentalisms are tolerated." (See "Catholic Sects: Opus Dei" in Revista Internacional de Sociologia, Madrid 1992). Dr. John Roche, a former member of Opus Dei and a lecturer at Linacre College, Oxford stated "I am convinced Opus Dei is a sect, a cult, a malignant growth upon the body of the church." A Belgian Parliamentary Commission Report of the 28th of April 1997 officially classified Opus as a sect.

Opus Dei responses to cult accusations

There are basically two ways of looking at the accusation of cult status: One from the point of view of the Church and the other from the point of view of social scientists.

Opus Dei objections to being labeled as a cult or sect from the Catholic viewpoint include:

Church officials, like Cardinal Schönborn, editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, say that: "Nobody needs to have studied theology to recognize the basic contradiction in the slogan 'sects within the Church'; ...From a theological and ecclesiastical point of view, a group is considered a sect when it is not recognized by the relevant Church authority." L'Osservatore Romano, 13/20 August 1997.
While some individual members do commit mistakes in the process of winning new vocations to the Work, Opus Dei supporters say that diligence in the apostolate follows the radical demands of baptism as understood by the Church: "The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well." (Catechism of the Catholic Church 863)
Berglar says that he cannot understand "why parents will allow a teenager the decision to drop out of religion class, but not the decision to serve God and the Church. The time-tested experience of the Church is, indeed, that a young person can generally recognize the signs of a divine vocation and at least begin to pursue it." He referred to many famous figures who lived in a saintly way at a young age and were canonized. (Berglar 1994, p. 164) According to Opus Dei and Church rules, new members must be adults aged 18 or over. Before people are admitted, they are taught about the teachings of Escriva on free, total self-giving, obedience and mortification. They are also asked if they understand the demands and if they are deciding with full freedom. (Messori 1997)
According to Opus Dei supporters, parents "must be convinced 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)" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2232) At the same time Opus Dei teaches that the fourth commandment is the "the most sweet precept" [30]which should be compatible with the priorities set by the first commandment.
Many experts in the history of Christianity affirm that the practice of mortification of the flesh exists in other Catholic organizations and even other religions, and have been taken up throughout the Church's history by many prominent saints, Saint Thomas More perhaps being the nearest example, due to his being a lay Christian and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, one of our contemporaries. Certain philosophers and theologians say that the modern-day perplexity over mortification of the flesh is rooted in secularism, a skepticism towards God, religion and supernatural realities. Secularists find it difficult to understand what John Paul II calls "the need for suffering" out of supernatural reasons. He explains in his Apostolic Letter on the Salvific Meaning of Suffering that "suffering, more than anything else, makes the powers of the redemption present." And understanding this is "a source of joy." [31]. (See Wikipedia article for a historical and theological study on mortification of the flesh)

Opus Dei supporters also cite the following sociological objections to their being labeled a cult:

The term "cult" has been subjected to strenuous criticism in recent decades by some social scientists who argue that the label is often little more than a pejorative term for religious groups that fail to sufficiently conform to a given society's values. Some cite the analysis of CESNUR, the Center for Studies on New Religions, an international organization of scholars from leading universities devoted to the study of new religious forms: "the category of 'cults' used by these [anti-cult activists's] documents is unscholarly and not acceptable. Methodologically, it is clear that these [anti-cult] reports rely primarily on sources supplied by the international anti-cult movement, and accept uncritically the brainwashing or mind control model of conversion, a model unanimously rejected by mainline sociological and psychological science." [32] (See also the investigation done by Vittorio Messori (1997) and the study done by Massimo Introvigne of CESNUR on Opus Dei and the anti-cult movement. Introvigne refers to the laicist roots of the anti-cult activists who cannot tolerate "il ritorno del religioso," the return of the religious.[33])
Some contemporary observers of social trends have suggested that many of the criticisms and allegations against Opus Dei are connected to an anti-Catholic bias, whereby the Catholic Church itself is tagged as a cult. According to these authors, anti-catholicism is the "last acceptable prejudice" in the western world. This approach assumes that western civilization finds other prejudices no longer so acceptable, such as discrimination against women, Jews, African-Americans and gays. (See Jenkins 2003 and Massa 2003; also [34])

Other criticisms

Aside from the criticisms on Opus Dei's doctrine and its perceived cult-like behavior, there are other criticisms.

The canonisation of Escriva, according to critics, was lightning fast and plagued with irregularities. Opus Dei allegedly pressured and bought bishops to write glowing reports about Escriva. Opus Dei claims that it was the promoters' efficiency and Vatican reforms on the canonisation process that made the process seem fast, although in terms of materials and number of sessions it was the longest to date. For a fuller discussion, please see the article on Josemaria Escriva.
The late Cardinal Basil Hume, Archbishop of Westminster and head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, issued a set of "Guidelines for Opus Dei within the Diocese of Westminster" in December, 1981. Some read these as implicit criticism of Opus Dei, although others point to the fact that Cardinal Hume was the principal celebrant at Opus Dei's 70th anniversary Mass in London (October 1998) by way of evidence that the cardinal and the organization enjoyed good relations. The latter also refer to his homily. [35]
Some traditionalists or ultraconservatives criticize Opus Dei's support for the Second Vatican Council's teachings on ecumenism and the role of the laity in the Church.
Others object to the nature of the foreign missions that it has undertaken, such as the one located in the Mountains of Yauyos in Peru.

Activities and work

The largest part of the apostolic activity of the prelature is what the individual members do with their friends and colleagues in their respective communities and workplaces. Collective formative activities consist of religious retreats and classes in Catholic doctrine.

Its members also undertake many social initiatives: Opus Dei operates several hospitals, clinics, schools, and inner-city tutoring programs. For example, in the United States, members operate one college and five secondary schools, and tutoring programs in Chicago, New York City, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.. The U.S. National Headquarters is in 243 Lexington Avenue (Lexington Avenue & E. 34th Street) New York. In Spain, Saint Josemaría Escrivá himself founded the University of Navarra in 1959 which confers 27 degrees and administers more than 300 post-graduate programs and includes a teaching hospital.

For more information regarding corporate works of Opus Dei and apostolic initiatives of members of Opus Dei all over the world, please see [36].

Opus Dei's self-perceived role in society

Members of Opus Dei claim that the Catholic Church, through the laity, has a mission of Christianizing society and the whole temporal order. Responding to the Christian vocation, they strive to put the Christian imprint of love, justice and professional excellence in their workplace and in the society where they live. (Le Tourneau 2002)

"Out of a hundred souls, we are interested in one hundred," said Escriva. [37] Since the Work started among the friends of Escriva in the university and realizing the immense impact of the intellectuals on people's mode of behavior, one of Opus Dei's priority apostolate for the evangelization of society is the apostolate of culture. (Fuenmayor 1994, Messori 1997, p.110-111)

Sanctification of work

P. Berglar, a German, said that Escriva's advice, "Sanctify your work, sanctify yourself in your work, and sanctify others through your work," is "the shortest and most popular definition of Opus Dei's spirit." Berglar calls this "an epigrammatic trinity." (1994, p. 265)

So that this sanctification can take place, the Opus Dei prelature provides "professional formation" for its faithful. This formation stresses the following: hard work, study, cultural and professional development, human warmth and refinement in interpersonal relations, ethical behavior, prudence, honesty, social responsibility, respect for freedom and pluralism, not making use of the Church for one's gain, and the priority of prayer. (Le Tourneau 2002, Romano 1995)

Allegations of secrecy

Opus Dei has been alleged to function as a secret society. There have been rumours that some senior members of the U.S. judiciary and FBI are Opus Dei members. (This may be based on the fact that former FBI director Louis Freeh's brother is known to have belonged to Opus Dei.) Contrary to some other Catholic organizations in which all the teachings and writings of the founder are public, in Opus Dei there is a body of teachings, norms, and writings that are restricted to its members and are not public; even between members, there are different levels of the literature that they have access to. For example, the teachings and instructions for numeraries would not be available to supernumeraries, et cetera, much less to the general public. (See Walsh 1989)

Gomez Perez, author of Opus Dei: Una Explicación (1992) says that Opus Dei does not in general comment on who is or is not a member, following the practice of other Catholic organizations, dioceses and other private groups which show respect for their member's privacy. He says that the prelature "has no right to communicate the fact of membership if the person in question does not permit it. To confuse this with 'secrecy' is to be unwilling to recognize the standard practice of any organization with voluntary contracts," since Opus Dei members are incorporated by private bilateral contracts and not by public vows. Like members of private clubs, the faithful of Opus Dei's membership is known by their relatives and close friends. Membership of public personalities can be known by the person's own public declaration of his private links. See also: List of prominent members of Opus Dei.

Political pluralism and Opus Dei

Opus Dei claims that it takes no side in politics. "Respect for its members' freedom is an essential condition for Opus Dei's very existence," said Escriva. "If Opus Dei had been involved in politics, even for an instant," he once wrote, "in that moment of error I would have left Opus Dei." (Le Tourneau 1989, p. 49)

Purportedly, among the inviolable and perpetual rules Escriva set up to ensure that the essential condition of the organization's life is fulfilled is this: "Each faithful of the Prelature enjoys the same liberties as other Catholic citizens in what concerns professional activity, social, political doctrines, etc. The authorities of the Prelature, however, must abstain from giving any counsel in matters of this nature. Therefore this full liberty can be diminished only by the norms that apply to all Catholics and are established by the bishop or Bishop's Conference." (Statutes 88.3) After investigating into the actual implementation of these rules and spirit, Messori concludes that (1) the members of Opus Dei receive nothing else but spiritual advice, (2) they do not operate as a herd in political affairs, but (3) consider respect for pluralism in matters of faith one way of obeying a central conviction of the founder. (See Messori 1997, p. 175)

Allegations of far-right links

Critics say that there are links between Opus Dei and right-wing organizations. They present the following allegations:

There was mutual support between Opus Dei and Francisco Franco, the fascist dictator of Spain who was assisted by Nazi Germany into power. Escriva joined Franco’s insurgent generals at the end of the Spanish Civil War. And in 23 May 1958, he wrote a letter showing support for Franco, whose military regime brought about the death of thousands of Spaniards. Critics also refer to the many Opus Dei members who were appointed to the Spanish government during Franco’s rule which lasted from 1939-1975. These appointments were a sign of Opus Dei’s penetration into the higher echelons of the regime. Opus Dei, according to these critics, has ambitions of playing a strong political role, like the one played by the Spanish Inquisition. The Columbia Encyclopedia says that “In the 1950s and 60s it replaced the Falange as the most important conservative political and religious force in Spain. Its influence there, however, has waned since the early 1970s.”
Fr. Vladimir Felzmann, a former Opus Dei member who is presently working as a priest in a parish in England, quoted Escriva as saying that Adolf Hitler “couldn’t have been such a bad person. He couldn't have killed six million. It couldn't have been more than four million.” Felzmann also says that the founder of Opus Dei supported Hitler’s Nazi ideology. A quote which was cited by the international press and which still did not bar Escriva’s canonization is: "Hitler against the Jews, Hitler against the Slavs, this means Hitler against communism.”
Opus Dei had relations with Augusto Pinochet, the military dictator of Chile from 1973-1990.

On the other hand, supporters reply with the following:

Escriva rejected the clerical, single-party mentality of many Spanish Catholics. In his letter to Franco written 8 years after the Allies recognized his government, Escriva stated that “although a stranger to any political activity,” he wrote Franco to encourage the Spanish government for having decided to follow the law of God according to the Catholic faith, and thus, his supporters say, he was encouraging respect for human rights. They also cite historians who say that Franco’s Falange persecuted Opus Dei members, driving some to exile. Supporters say that it is a “gross slander” to connect Opus Dei with Franco’s fascism. They also point to the results of Messori’s investigation, who said that an Opus Dei dominated Franco regime is “a myth” given that of the 116 ministers in its history there were only 8 members of Opus Dei.
Felzmann’s statements, supporters say, are a “patent falsehood,” contradicting his written testimony that Escriva is “a saint for today.” Many witnesses say that Escriva denounced Hitler as an anti-Jew persecutor and a tyrant. He boldly condemned Nazism as a pagan, racist and totalitarian aberration.
The Pinochet-Opus Dei relationship is all made up, supporters say. Many members are also involved in left-wing and centrist politics all over the world, making it impossible for all the members to have one political agenda.

For a fuller discussion with citations and sources, please see Opus Dei and Allegations of Far-right Links.

History

Timeline

1917: Escriva received "inklings" of a special call
1928: October 2. Founding of Opus Dei
1930: February 14. Founding of the Women's branch of Opus Dei
1939: The Way, Escriva's spiritual considerations, was first published. Opus Dei started to expand to other cities outside of Madrid
1940: December 8. Opus Dei is publicly denounced as a heresy
1941: Opus Dei is granted first diocesan approval by the Bishop of Madrid
1943: February 14. Founding of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross
1946: Beginning of Opus Dei in Portugal, Italy, and England. Escriva moves to Rome to establish the headquarters of Opus Dei
1949: Opus Dei spreads overseas. It starts in Mexico and the United States
1950: June 16. Opus Dei is given final and complete approval by Pius XII
1962: Start of the Second Vatican Council, which proclaimed the universal call to holiness
1975: June 26. Death of the founder. Alvaro del Portillo, his closest associate, was elected as his successor
1982: November 28. Establishment of Opus Dei as personal prelature. John Paul II appoints del Portillo as prelate
1992: May 17. Beatification of the founder, a highly criticized event
1994: Msgr. Javier Echevarria is appointed by John Paul II as the second successor of Escriva after the death of del Portillo
2002: October 6. Canonization of the founder. John Paul II calls Escriva "the saint of the ordinary"

(See Berglar 1994, p. 202, 327-330, passim; Coverdale 2002, Vasquez de Prada 1999 and other biographies)

For a longer timeline, please see Opus Dei: A Historical Timeline

References and readings

Writings of the founder

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. ISBN 1889334588. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)

Studies about Opus Dei: monographs

. ISBN 0933932650. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) -- A study of Opus Dei based on the life story and work of its founder written by Dr. Berglar, a professor of history at the University of Cologne and published by Scepter, an Opus Dei publishing house
. ISBN 0852441363. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) -- a French scholar's authoritative synthesis
. ISBN 0895264501. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) -- an investigation (Una indagine, the original Italian title) done by a famous journalist who interviewed John Paul II in Crossing the Threshold of Hope
. ISBN 0818907398. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) -- a study of an Italian essayist
. ISBN 8432128929. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) -- University Professor of Anthropology explains various aspects of Opus Dei
. ISBN 0949773751. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) -- a 5-year research in 10 countries conducted by a senior journalist and deputy editor of the Australian
{{cite book}}: Empty citation (help) -- the first serious study on Opus Dei to be published, written by a prolific French journalist, a Laureate of the Academie Francaise whose works have been translated to four languages
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Theological and juridical studies

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. ISBN 1851821708. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) -- an ecclesiological and theological study of Opus Dei
{{cite book}}: Empty citation (help)-- collection of contributions to a theological symposium; contributors include Ratzinger, del Portillo, Cottier, dalla Torre, Ocariz, Illanes, Aranda, Burggharf and an address by John Paul II
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History and biography

Jose Orlandis, History of the Catholic Church, Four Courts Press, 1993. ISBN 1-85182-125-2 -- highlights of Church history
George Weigel, Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, Harpercollins, 1999. ISBN 006018793X
Andres Vasquez de Prada: The Founder of Opus Dei. The Life of Josemaria Escrivá, Scepter Publishers 1997.
John Coverdale: Uncommon Faith: The Early Years of Opus Dei (1928-1943), Scepter Publications, 2002. ISBN 188933474X

Memoirs

Alvaro del Portillo, Cesare Cavalleri, Immersed in God: Blessed Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei As Seen by His Successor, Bishop Alvaro Del Portillo, Scepter Publishers 1996 ISBN 0933932855
. ISBN 0826410960. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) -- damning indictment of Opus Dei by a former high-flying member of the organization
B. Badrinas, ed., Testimonies on Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei, Sinag-tala 1992. – collection of some testimonies given by ecclesiastical officials which were used for the beatification process.
Pedro Casciaro, Dream and Your Dreams will Fall Short, Princeton 1998

Others

Francis Fernandez: In Conversation with God, Scepter Publications, 1993. ISBN 0906138191 (7 volume set)
Michael Walsh: Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Secret Society Struggling for Power Within the Roman Catholic Church, Harper San Francisco, 1989. ISBN 0060692685
O'Connor, William: Opus Dei: An Open Book. A Reply to the Secret World of Opus Dei by Michael Walsh, Mercier 1991
Elaine Shannon and Ann Blackman, The Spy Next Door : The Extraordinary Secret Life of Robert Philip Hanssen, The Most Damaging FBI Agent in US History, Liittle Brown, 2002 ISBN 0-316-71821-1

External links

Catholic Church sites and sites supporting Opus Dei:

Sites critical of Opus Dei:

Opus Dei Awareness Network
The Unofficial Opus Dei FAQ
Opus Libros, created by alleged former Opus Dei numeraries (in Spanish)
Opus Dei: links, press reports, critical witnesses (in French)
Opus Dei in Brazil (in Portuguese)
Opus Dei - The Unofficial Homepage
The Rising Spectre - allegations from Ian Paisley's European Institute for Protestant Studies
Opus Dei: "International Jewish Conspiracy"
www.deepblacklies.co.uk
El poder del Opus Dei (in spanish)

Others