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], Founder of Opus Dei: "Work is the way to contribute to the progress of society; even more, it is a way to holiness."]]
{{NPOV}}
The '''Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei''', commonly known as '''Opus Dei''' (] for "Work of God") or '''the Work''', is an international organization of the ] whose mission is to spread the Christian message that God calls everyone to become a ] and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The Opus Dei ] comprises ordinary ] and ] governed by a ].
], the founder of Opus Dei]]
'''Opus Dei''', formally known as '''The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei''', is an international organization which is part of the ]. "''Opus Dei''" is ] for "The Work of God", and the organization is sometimes known simply as "''the Work''". <ref></ref>
Founded in 1928 by a Catholic priest, ], Opus Dei was established as a ] by ] in 1982. The first, and so far the only one, this prelature now coexists with episcopal dioceses as an official part of the Church's ]. According to the Vatican Yearbook of 2004, Opus Dei has more than 85,000 members.
Opus Dei was founded in Spain in 1928 by Roman Catholic priest ].<ref>ReligiousMovements - </ref> In 1930, Escrivá allowed women to join Opus Dei.<ref>OpusDei.us - </ref> In 1950, Opus Dei was given final and complete approval by Pope Pius XII. <ref>OpusDei.us - </ref>In 1982, Opus Dei was made into a ]-- meaning that members of Opus Dei fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Prelate of Opus Dei, rather than under the jurisdiction of their local dioceses.<ref>OpusDei.us - </ref> Opus Dei is the currently the only organization to have ever been made into a personal prelature.<ref>BBC - </ref>
] strongly support what they see as Opus Dei's innovative teaching on the sanctifying value of work in the secular world and its loyalty to the Church. Still, since its foundation Opus Dei has been subjected to criticism and opposition. Liberals and secularists accuse it of secrecy, ], ], and support for the extreme right-wing in politics. Some ex-members accuse it of ]-like recruitment and of violating their rights.
Opus Dei is made up of four different types of members: "Supernumeraries", "Numeraries", "Associates", and "Numerary-assistants". One type, the Supernumeraries, are non-celibate, typically married, and make up the bulk of the membership.<ref>BBC - </ref> The other three types are required to be celibate, and often live in special centers run by Opus Dei.<ref>BBC - </ref> Currently, Opus Dei has approximately 85,000 members worldwide. <ref>BBC - </ref>
]'s Vatican analyst, ], and Dr. ], respected journalists and Catholics, stated that these accusations are mere ], a far cry from Opus Dei's reality. In 1994, Dr. ], a prolific sociologist 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, its opponents unfairly stigmatize Opus Dei. Allen describes Opus Dei as "the most controversial force in the Catholic Church", receiving both support and opposition. Due to this, many Catholics see Opus Dei as a ].
Opus Dei's central teachings emphasize the Catholic beliefs that "everyone is 'called' to become a ]" and that "ordinary life is a path to sanctity." <ref>Opus Dei official site - </ref> This is reflected in the fact that only a small minority of Opus Dei's members are part of the priesthood-- most members lead traditional family lives and have secular careers. <ref>BBC - </ref>
==History, mission, and name==
Various Popes and other Catholic Church leaders have strongly supported Opus Dei and its teachings.<ref></ref> Both Pope ] and Pope ] have singled it out for high praise, and in 2002, Escrivá was canonized as a saint.<ref></ref> In contrast, critics of Opus Dei have argued that the organization is cult-like, secretive, and highly-controlling.<ref></ref>
{{see|Timeline of Opus Dei}}
] ]. On that day, Pope John Paul II called Opus Dei's founder "the saint of ordinary life."]]
==History of Opus Dei==
Opus Dei was founded by a Catholic priest, ], on ] ] in Madrid, Spain. Escrivá said that the founding of Opus Dei had a "supernatural character." On that day he "saw Opus Dei." Described as a Catholic teaching entity,<ref>Escrivá says it is a "great catechesis." </ref> Opus Dei's mission is:
{{main|Opus Dei: A Historical Timeline}}
: "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."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/conversations/point/60| title=''Conversations'' 60| first=Josemaría| last=Escrivá| accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref>
Escrivá gave the organization the name "Opus Dei", which, in Latin, means "Work of God." Pope John Paul II stated that Escrivá had founded it led by divine inspiration. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now ]) said that it was not Escriva's work but God's Work, ''Opus Dei''. "The Lord simply made use of him who allowed God to work."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdfjosma.htm| title="St. Josemaria: God is very much at work in our world today" ''L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English'', p. 3. (] ])."| first=Joseph| last=Ratzinger| accessdate=2006-08-26}}</ref>
Opus Dei was founded by a Roman Catholic priest, ], on ] ] in Madrid, Spain. According to Escrivá, on that day he experienced a "vision" in which he "saw Opus Dei".<ref></ref> <ref></ref> Throughout his life, Escrivá maintained that the founding of Opus Dei had a supernatural character.<ref></ref>
Initially, Opus Dei was open only to men, but in 1930, Escrivá created the women's branch. In 1936, Opus Dei suffered a temporary setback when the events of the ] forced Escrivá to go into hiding. After the civil war was won by General ]'s Nationalists, he was able to return to Madrid. In 1939, Escrivá published ''The Way'', a collection of 999 maxims concerning spirituality. In 1946, he moved its headquarters to Rome. In 1950 with the first constitutions, Pope Pius XII granted it the definitive approval, thereby allowing married people to join the organization. In 1982, John Paul II made Opus Dei into a ] with new statutes, and in 2002, canonized its founder.
Leaders of Opus Dei describe the organization as a Catholic teaching entity.<ref>Escrivá says it is a "great catechesis." See also "Ways of Opus Dei" ''Time Magazine.''</ref> Escrivá's summarized the Opus Dei's mission by writing:
: "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."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/conversations/point/60| title=''Conversations'' 60| first=Josemaría| last=Escrivá| accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref>
==Catholic Church and Opus Dei==
Escrivá gave the organization the name "Opus Dei", which in Latin means "The Work of God". Escrivá felt the name underscored the belief that the organization was not his (Escivá's) work, but was rather "God's work" (Opus Dei). <ref></ref> Opus Dei is sometimes referred to simply as "The Work".<ref></ref>
] painting titled ''Magpakabanal sa gawain'': "Be a saint through your work."]]
===Lay spirituality===
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.<ref>OpusDei.us - </ref> In 1936, Opus Dei suffered a temporary setback when the events of the ] forced Escrivá to go into hiding.<ref></ref> After the civil war was won by General ]'s Nationalists, Escrivá was able to return to Madrid.<ref></ref> Opus Dei flourished during the years of Franco's rule-- spreading first throughout Spain, and after 1945, expanding internationally.<ref>OpusDei.us - </ref>
In 1939, Escrivá published ''The Way'', a collection of 999 maxims concerning spirituality.<ref></ref> In 1946, Escrivá moved the organization's headquarters to Rome. In 1950, Pope Pius XII granted the definitive approval to Opus Dei-- thereby allowing married people to join the organization.<ref>OpusDei.us - </ref> In 1982, Opus Dei was made into a ]-- meaning that members of Opus Dei fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Prelate of Opus Dei, rather than under the jurisdiction of their local dioceses.<ref></ref> In 2002, Opus Dei founder Josemaria Escrivá was canonized as a saint.<ref></ref>
==Theology==
{{main|Teachings of Opus Dei}}
{{main|Teachings of Opus Dei}}
As an organisation within the Catholic Church, Opus Dei shares its doctrines, while emphasising certain Catholic spiritual teachings:<ref>See works of Escrivá and commentaries such as {{cite book|author=Belda, M.; Escudero J.; Illanes, J.L.; & O'Callaghan, P. (Eds.)|title=Holiness and the World: Studies in the Teachings of Blessed Josemariá Escrivá|publisher=Scepter Publications|year=1997|id=}}— collection of contributions to a theological symposium; contributors include Ratzinger, del Portillo, Cottier, dalla Torre, Ocariz, Illanes, Aranda, Burggraf and an address by John Paul II ISBN 1-890177-04-0</ref>
;Universal call to holiness
:Opus Dei lays stress on the ] 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 ordinary Christians. ] (2002) explained his teaching: 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.<ref></ref>
;Holiness in ordinary life
:Escrivá —a "]" saint, says Ratzinger— emphasised that ordinary Christians follow ], God the Son, who worked as a ] 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), Escrivá encouraged Christians to work excellently out of love. By doing so, their work is a service to society and a fitting offering to God. "'Great' holiness consists in carrying out the 'little duties' of each moment", says Escrivá.
;Secularity and freedom
:Each person is free —in control of his actions— and thus responsible for his spiritual and social life. Jesus redeemed us with the free choice of love: As man, he obeyed his Father's will throughout his life of work, "unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:8). Each one then directs himself with autonomy in earthly affairs towards eternal union with or separation from God, the two ultimate ends of life.
;Contemplatives in the middle of the world
:All of creation is sanctified by the God-made-flesh: movies, boardrooms, gardens, sports are meeting points with the Father God who is near. This message, says ] (1975), the perceived leader of the "progressivists" in Vatican II, shows that the two separated worlds of religious life and professional life "should in fact walk together." ] now ]: This message "leads to overcoming the great temptation of our time: the pretence that after the 'big bang' God retired from history."]]
;Charity and daily evangelization
:Holiness, according to Catholic theology, is a response of love to God's self-sacrificing love. And love is nurtured by regular acts of prayer ("norms of piety") which are centred on Christ in the ]. Charity consists of understanding, compassion, courtesy, helping the needy, ], and cheer, Escrivá says. Love is orderly and should start with one's duties. Charity entails ], leading people to God.
;Unity of life
:By practicing these teachings, a Christian has no double life; he has a unity of life. This, according to Escrivá, 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.
;Divine filiation and joy
:According to Escrivá, the foundation of the Christian life is one's "divine filiation": being children of God, "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pt 1:4), 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."
That everyone is called to sanctity was already taught by ], ], and ], but their emphasis was on prayer and liturgical devotions, basically ] applied to lay people. "Escrivá is more radical", writes Cardinal Luciani (1977), who later became Pope ]. "For him, it is the material work itself which must be turned into prayer and sanctity", thus providing a ].
Opus Dei is a organization within the Roman Catholic church-- as such, Opus Dei ultimately shares the overall theology of Catholic Church (see ]). Opus Dei does however place special emphasis on certain aspects of Catholic doctrine.
===Catholic personal prelature===
One central feature of Opus Dei's theology is its focus on the lives of average Catholics (known as "the laity" or the "lay people").<ref></ref> Opus Dei emphasizes a "]"-- the idea that everyone should aspire to be saint-like, not just a few special individuals.<ref></ref> Unlike most ] which usually focus on the clergy, the vast majority of Opus Dei's members are lay persons.<ref></ref> Opus Dei does not have monks or nuns, and only a minority of its members are part of the priesthood.<ref></ref>
], Opus Dei's Prelate]]
John Paul II established Opus Dei as a ] of the Catholic Church on ] ]. 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 ], indicates that Opus Dei is an integral part of the Church itself, and not a mere product of voluntary association.<ref>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.</ref>
Personal prelatures, similar to dioceses and military ordinariates, are under the governance of the Vatican's ]. 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 —like ]s— 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 John Paul II's ''Ut Sit''.<ref>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.</ref>
Closely related to this is Opus Dei's emphasis on the uniting the world of spiritual life with the ordinary world of professional, social, and family life. Whereas the members of some religious orders might live in monasteries and devote their lives exclusively to prayer and study, most members of Opus Dei lead ordinary lives, with traditional families and conventional careers.<ref></ref> Members of Opus Dei strive to infuse spirituality into ordinary life, to "sanctify ordinary life". Indeed, Pope John Paul II called Escrivá "the saint of ordinary life".<ref></ref>
While 2000 bishops who were consulted supported this decision according to the ], critics like ], the longtime religion editor and senior writer for '']'', consider that Opus Dei, through its juridical status has become a "church within the Church."<ref>{{cite web| author=Kenneth Woodward |year=10/02/2002 | url=http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/bulletin/eddesk.nsf/All/FFCE5D9C810F6C1BCA256C44001ACCC7| title=Opus Dei in the open| year=2002-10-02| publisher=The Bulletin| work= (citing from:) Newsweek| accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref>
Similarly, Opus Dei stresses the importance of work.<ref>Escriva, The Furrow ch. 15</ref> Opus Dei places a great value on industriousness, diligence, and hard work.<ref></ref> Where some religious orders might encourage their members to withdraw from the material world, Opus Dei's members take an active role in careers or charitable works.<ref></ref> Opus Dei teaches that work is "a path to holiness"<ref></ref>, and its founder famously advised members to "Sanctify your work. Sanctify yourself in your work. Sanctify others through your work."<ref></ref>
==Structure and activities==
===Vocation and membership===
:''Main article: ]
]'''
]
According to Catholic officials, while everyone is called to holiness, not all are called to Opus Dei. Being ordinary Catholics, and not nuns or priests, Opus Dei members are incorporated into the prelature not by means of ]s, but by private ]. They have to freely ask to be incorporated, convinced they have received a vocation. Members are committed to attend regular meetings, practice its teachings, and spread its message in the midst of their work. Since there is one vocation to Opus Dei, there are no degrees of membership. The terminology for the types of members refer to the different circumstances in which they live their vocation:
Opus Dei is an international ]-- meaning that members of Opus Dei fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Prelate of Opus Dei, rather than under the jurisdiction of their local dioceses.<ref></ref> So, for example, a member of the Catholic church who moves from Berlin to New York would move from the jurisdiction of one diocese to the jurisdiction of another. In contrast, a member of Opus Dei making the same move would remain under the jurisdiction of the Opus Dei prelature.
''']''' account for about 70% of the total membership. Typically, supernumeraries are married men and women who have normal careers and lead traditional family lives. Due to these obligations, supernumeraries are not as available to assist in organisational matters as the other types of members. They contribute financially to Opus Dei.
In Pope John Paul II's 1982 decree known as the ] ''Ut Sit'', Opus Dei was established as a s a personal prelature.<ref></ref> In addition to being governed by ''Ut Sit'' and by cannon law, Opus Dei also has its own set of statutes that are specifically applicable to the prelature.<ref></ref>
''']''', who comprise about 20% of total membership, are celibate members who usually live in special centres run by Opus Dei. These centres are gender-segregated, with only very minimal contact between male and female numeraries. Numeraries generally have normal careers and devote the bulk of their income to the organisation.
The head of the Opus Dei prelature is known as the Prelate.<ref></ref> The Prelate is the primary governing authority for Opus Dei. The Prelate is assisted by two councils-- the General Council (made up of men) and the Central Advisory (made up of women).<ref></ref>
''']s''' are unmarried, female members. Their professional life is dedicated to looking after the domestic needs of the centres.
Opus Dei's highest assembled body are the General Congresses, which are usually convened once every eight years. There are separate congresses for the men and women's branch of Opus Dei. The General Congresses are made up members who are appointed by the Prelate. The General Congresses are responsible for studying and advising the Prelate about the proposed future direction of the prelature. The men's General Congress is also responsible for the election of the Prelate.<ref> (work)</ref>
''']''' 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 centres.
The Prelate holds his position for life. After the death of a Prelate, a special elective General Congress is convened. They elect from their ranks one individual to become the next Prelate-- an appointment that must be confirmed by the Pope.<ref> (work)</ref>
The ''']''' is the association of priests united with the prelature. Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature: numeraries and associates who were called to the priesthood are automatically members of the Priestly Society. Other members are normal diocesan priests.
The current prelate of Opus Dei is ], who became the second Prelate of Opus Dei in 1994.<ref></ref> The first Prelate of Opus Dei was ], who held the position from 1982 until his death in 1994.<ref></ref>
The ''']''' are non-members, including non-Christians, who collaborate in some way with Opus Dei, usually through praying, charitable contributions, or by providing some other assistance.
Opus Dei has about 85,000 members in more than 80 different countries.<ref></ref> About 60% of Opus Dei members reside in Europe, and 35% reside in the Americas.<ref></ref> The organization's assets total at least $2.8 billion. <ref></ref> Two members of Opus Dei, Juan Luis Cipriani and Julián Herranz, have achieved the rank of Cardinal.<ref></ref>
===Instruction and training===
Opus Dei runs special residential centers throughout the world.<ref></ref> These centers provide residential housing for some members of Opus Dei, undertake recruitment, and provide doctrinal and theological education activities (known by the term "formation"). Opus Dei and its members are also responsible for a variety of non-profit institutions. These institutions, called "Corporate Works of Opus Dei", include schools, universities, and medical facilities.<ref></ref> For example, the ] in Pamplona, Spain is a corporate work of Opus Dei which has been rated as one of the top private universities in the country.<ref></ref>
]
A Christian becomes a saint, according to Opus Dei's founder, principally through God's ], and thus he emphasised frequent ] and other means of sanctification:
(1) ''']''', activities turned into contemplation, which Jesus Christ calls "the one thing necessary" (Lk 10:42), and,
(2) ''']''', a well-reasoned understanding of God and his ordered work as revealed in the Catholic faith, now presented by ] as the religion of the ] (the Word: meaning and reason). Escrivá says one cannot love someone who is not known. Thus he says Christians should have "the piety of children and the sure doctrine of theologians."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/christ_is_passing_by/point/10| title=Christ is passing by - Christ's presence in christians - Number 104| first=Josemaría| last=Escrivá| accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref>
He holds that the "paramount means" of training is one-on-one coaching through ], a practice which has its roots in the early Church. According to ], 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 ] ]. 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. Training in Opus Dei is based on the ] model.
==Types of membership==
:''Main articles: ], ], ]''
===Actual practice===
Currently, Opus Dei is made up of several different types of membership<ref></ref>:
After one year of research among members of Opus Dei, ] of ] 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 evangelisation "seamlessly" combining with their work.<ref>Romanowsky, John in ''Godspy''.</ref>
]
As for the founder, John Paul II declared: "Faithful to the ] 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,"<ref>Daily Catholic (23 November 1999). . vol. 10, no. 222.</ref> John Paul II canonized him on ] ], and called him "the saint of ordinary life." In his Decree of Canonisation, 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, ]'s canonisation sparked controversy. Critics such as Kenneth Woodward said he was undeserving and that the process of canonisation was lightning fast and marred by irregularities. Historian ] of ] stated: "The canonisation 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 canonisations, states it was the promoters' efficiency, the reforms in the canonisation 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. ], a writer on ], said the opposition to saints such as St. Josemaría may even undercut efforts to enhance the role of the laity in the life of the Church.
''']''', the largest type, currently account for about 70% of the total membership.<ref></ref> 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. Unlike other types of members, supernumeraries are not required to be celibate, and they typically do not practice ].<ref></ref>
There are other members whose process of beatification has been opened: ], 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; ], a Swiss engineer, and ], Escrivá's successor as head of Opus Dei.
''']''', the second largest type of members of Opus Dei, comprise about 20% of total membership.<ref></ref> 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 very only minimal contact between male and female numeraries.<ref></ref> Numeraries are required to be celibate, and are encouraged to practice mortification. Numeraries generally have conventional careers and devote the bulk of their income to the organization.<ref></ref>
Some former members are highly critical of Opus Dei and have set up websites such as the (ODAN) and to inform people of their allegations of cult-like behaviour in Opus Dei. On the other hand Allen says their views are countered by many other ex-members, the present members, and the estimated 900,000 people who attend activities of Opus Dei. He 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 ] ] of ] of the ], ], 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 ]" to meet their "need for self-justification." <ref>Wilson, Bryan. (] ]) , Oxford, England. See also ].</ref>
''']''' are unmarried, female members of Opus Dei. Like the numeraries, they live in special centers run by Opus Dei. Unlike numeraries, the numerary assistants do not have conventional jobs outside of the centers-- instead, their professional life is dedicated to looking after the domestic needs of the centers. Numerary assistants are required to be celibate, and they generally practice mortification.
], 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''."]]
''']''' are unmarried, celibate members who typically have family or professional obligations.<ref></ref> Unlike numeraries and numerary assistants, the associates do not live inside the special Opus Dei centers.<ref></ref>
Ex-members report of ''aggressive recruitment'' whereby members initially hide their links to Opus Dei; persuade recruits not to tell their families, or maintain contact with them; 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."<ref>The allegations regarding recruitment come mainly from concerned family members and have resulted for example in the recommendations for Opus Dei by ]. 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."</ref> Regarding complaints on ''separation from parents and friends'', ] 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 recognised 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)"
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.
The '''Clergy of the Opus Dei Prelature''' are priests who are members of Opus Dei and are under the jurisdiction of the Prelate of Opus Dei. Only about 2% of Opus Dei members are part of the clergy.<ref></ref> Typically, they are numeraries or associates who ultimately joined the priesthood.
===Mortification and self-denial===
The ''']''' is the association of priests associated with Opus Dei. Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature-- members of the priesthood who fall under the jurisdiction of the Opus Dei prelature are automatically members of the Priestly Society. Other members in the society are traditional diocesan priests--- 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.<ref></ref>
The ''']''' 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. <ref></ref>
==Mortification in Opus Dei==
{{main|Mortification}}
{{main|Mortification}}
]-- a small metal chain with inwardly-pointing spikes]]
]-- a small metal chain with inwardly-pointing spikes: a modern version of traditional ] such as the ] and the ].]]
Much public attention has focused on Opus Dei's practice of ]-- the voluntary offering up of discomfort or pain to God. Mortification has a long history in many world religions, and has been practiced continually throughout Catholic history as a way of following Christ's advice: "renounce yourself, take up the cross daily, and follow me."<ref>John Paul II states in his '''' : "Suffering, more than anything else, makes present in the history of humanity the powers of the Redemption."</ref>
Members of Opus Dei, like many Catholics, perform ordinary day to day sacrifices. 20% of members, the ], have additionally some "corporal mortifications", such as sleeping on the floor once a week and briefly flailing themselves with a "discipline", a rope small enough to fit in one hand. They also wear a ] for two hours each day-- a small metal chain with inwardly-pointing spikes that is worn around the upper thigh. The spikes cause discomfort, but are too small to cause injury, members say. John Allen reports that its practice in the Catholic Church is fairly widespread, having been used by modern saintly persons such as Blessed ], Saint ] and slain archbishop ]. 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.
Much public attention has focused on Opus Dei's encouragement of the practice of ]-- the voluntary infliction of pain or discomfort.<ref></ref> Mortification has a long history in many world religions including the Catholic Church, but the practice has become rare among most modern christians.<ref></ref>
Supporters say that corporal mortification plays an incidental role in the lives of its members, in view of all the other typical activities they partake in. Escriva's statement: "Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain... Glorify pain!" is viewed by some in a negative light while supporters say it is better viewed as a statement of union with the saving pains of Jesus Christ. Supporters state that Escriva prohibited members of Opus Dei from practicing the same types of physical mortification he undertook, and that he prescribed a more benign form of mortification for their use.
==Opus Dei in society==
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.<ref></ref> Some forms are more extreme, for example, once a week, numeraries briefly flail themselves with a small rope whip called a "discipline".<ref></ref>
{{main|Opus Dei in society}}
===General strategy===
One of the most-discussed forms of mortification involves the use of a ]-- 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.<ref></ref> Numeraries in Opus Dei generally wear a cilice for two hours each day.<ref></ref>
]
Catholic leaders see Opus Dei as one among many lay organizations whose task is to enable lay Catholics to take the initiative in their specific church mission "to illuminate and order all temporal things... permeating social, political, and economic realities with the demands of Christian doctrine and life." (''CCC'' 898-9) 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 ]. 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." Thus, evangelization in Opus Dei is done one-on-one through its "apostolate of friendship and confidence."
"The easiest way to understand Opus Dei", Escrivá told '']'', "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."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/conversations/point/24| title=Conversations - Why Opus Dei? - Number 24| first=Josemaría| last=Escrivá| accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref> From the point of view of ], however, Opus Dei's strategy involves secrecy in its recruitment, internal affairs, and finances. And so, ], the President of the ] and a prolific Swiss liberal theologian whose license as a Roman Catholic theologian was withdrawn in 1979, concludes that Opus Dei is a "reactionary secret political and theological organisation." (Küng, ''The Catholic Church: A Short History'', 2002)
Members of Opus Dei feel that the mortification practices help to remind them of Jesus's suffering on the cross and have a varety of positive psychological and spiritual benefits. Supporters of the practice point out that mortification has had a long history within the Catholic Church, that various popes have endorsed the practice, and that mortification has been used by numerous saints throughout history.<ref></ref> Critics have cited mortification as one of the reasons for their opposition to Opus Dei.<ref></ref>
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 ], its "avoidance of self-aggrandizement", its respect for the right to ] and ] of its members, and its novel ] nature. In the same way that normal ] are not official representatives of their ]s or parishes, the faithful of the prelature do not set up official Catholic institutions but rather act in their own name as private ]s. Allen states 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 difference from ].<ref>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 (''Washington Monthly'' October/November 2005), ] 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.</ref>
===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 ]s. Members are distributed as follows: 1,600 in Africa; 4,700 in Asia and the Pacific; 29,000 in North and South America; and 48,700 Europe. 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 among its ranks than what is normal because of its emphasis on the evangelization of culture.
Critics accuse Opus Dei of ], of siding with the powerful against the weak (] 2004),<ref>{{cite web| url=http://atheism.about.com/b/a/106563.htm| title=Catholo m| publisher=About.com| accessdate=2006-05-16| year=August 21, 2004| first=Austin| last=Cline}}</ref> and of excessive power and wealth (Robert Hutchinson 1999). On the other hand, Allen says: the ] of the members takes place through their daily ]s and in the year 2005 they have cooperated with other people in setting up 608 social initiatives: schools and university residences (68%), technical or agricultural training (26%), universities, business schools and hospitals (6%). Worldwide revenue of Opus Dei is that of a mid-sized American diocese. And its numbers among bishops do not make it a potent force in the Church. ] says the accusations border on ].<ref>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 .</ref> Still, Scott Appleby, a Catholic history expert at the ], estimates that Opus Dei informs "about a million conservative Catholics" in the U.S.
==Responses to Opus Dei==
=== Relation with politics===
Despite some initial opposition from some sectors of the Catholic Church, Opus Dei ultimately rose to prominence within the Church. Pope John Paul II was a vocal supporter of the organization, as is Pope Benedict XVI. Contemporary supporters of Opus Dei see the organization as a "Christ-centered" movement whose members "seamlessly" integrate religion and spirituality into their ordinary lives.<ref></ref> Critics claim Opus Dei is a "]" or describe its practices as "cult-like".<ref></ref>
::''Main articles: ], ]''
Escrivá, said John Allen, was staunchly non-political. Allen told '']'': "There's a cardinal principle behind Opus Dei that it can never take political positions corporately. It would compromise the notion of secularity—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."
===Historical responses to Opus Dei===
]: Persecuted by ], he later became the first Senate President of Spain's democracy]]
However, the ''Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia'' 2003 states that ] "gained national importance after the ], when it received support from the government of Francisco Franco. In the 1950s and 60s it replaced the Falange as the most important ] 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 "]" spread by the ] and some clerical sectors. He and Allen state that of the 116 ministers of Franco, only 8 were members. According to English historian ] (1993), these belong to different political persuasions and Franco appointed them for their technical competence and not for their membership in Opus Dei.<ref>Preston, Paul, ''Franco. A Biography'', London: HarperCollins, 1993, p. 669.</ref> These 8 ministers were technocrats appointed to be part in leading the economic progress later known as the ]. Another historian, ], 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."<ref>Crozier, Brian, ''Franco, A Biographical History'', Little, Brown and Company 1967.</ref> German historian ], 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. These include ],<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.filosofia.org/ave/001/a143.htm| title=Rafael Calvo Serer (1916-1988)| work=Proyecto filosofía en español| year=2002| accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref> and ] who fought for ] and democracy, and later became the first Senate President of Spain's ].<ref>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.</ref>
In the 1940s, some Jesuits criticized Opus Dei. The ], Fr. ] 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."<ref></ref> Supporters suggest that these critics may also have been motivated by a concern that Opus Dei would take away vocations from the religious orders.<ref></ref>
Allen states: While two of the most visible Opus Dei politicians in the world -- (Paula) Binetti, (a senator-elect) in ], and ], the Local Government Minister in ] -- are now women who belong to ] parties,<ref>''.''" ] ]</ref> there is a sociological reality that the kind of people attracted to Opus Dei tend to be conservative, theologically and politically.
Reknown Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar also criticized Opus Dei in an article entitled "Fundamentalism," describing it as "a concentration of fundamentalist power in the Church." <ref>(article in ''Wort und Wahrheit'', 1963).</ref> He also remarked that Escriva's main book, The Way, was not of sufficient spiritual depth for its worldwide goals.<ref>(article in ''Wort und Wahrheit'', 1963).</ref> At least one scholar has reported, however, that von Balthasar later privately retracted his criticisms. <ref>{{cite book|author=Messori, Vittorio|title=Opus Dei, Leadership and Vision in Today's Catholic Church|publisher=Regnery Publishing|year=1997|id=ISBN 0895264501}}</ref>
==Reception history and controversy==
Despite these initial oppositions, Opus Dei gradually gained recognition and approval within the Roman Catholic church. In 1950, Pope Piux XII granted final approval to Opus Dei, and allowed married persons to join the organization. <ref>OpusDei.us - </ref> In 1960, Pope John XXIII commented that Opus Dei opens up "unsuspected horizons of apostolate".<ref></ref> After the Second Vatican Counsel, Pope Paul VI denied Opus Dei's petition to become a personal prelature and the relationship between Paul VI and Opus Dei has been described by one author as "stormy".
The Ethics of Opus Dei]</ref><ref>Opus Dei Awareness Network </ref> Nonetheless in 1964, Paul VI praised the organization in a handwritten letter to Escriva, saying,"Your words resonate with the burning and generous spirit of the whole Institution, born in this time of ours as a vigorous expression of the perennial youth of the Church, fully open to the demands of a modern apostolate, ever more active, flowing and organized. We look with paternal satisfaction on all that Opus Dei has achieved and is achieving for the kingdom of God, the desire of doing good that guides it, the burning love for the Church and its visible head that distinguishes it, and the ardent zeal for souls that impels it along the arduous and difficult paths of the apostolate of presence and witness in every sector of contemporary life."<ref></ref>
:''Main articles'': ''], ]; ]; ]
With the 1978 election of ], Opus Dei gained on of its greatest supporters.<ref></ref> John Paul II enthusaistically praised Opus Dei and it's founder Josemaria Escrivá, and John Paul II granted the organization its status as the church's only personal prelature.<ref></ref> John Paul II also decreed that Escrivá founding of the Opus Dei was indeed ''ductus divina inspiratione,''-- led by divine inspiration.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06689x.htm| title=Actual Grace| work=Catholic Encyclopedia| accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref>. Stating that Escrivá is "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity," John Paul II canonized him in 2002, and called him "the saint of ordinary life." <ref></ref> Of the organization, John Paul II said:
===In the Catholic Church===
:''" has as its aim the sanctification of one’s life, while remaining within the world at one’s place of work and profession: to live the Gospel in the world, while living immersed in the world, but in order to transform it, and to redeem it with one’s personal love for Christ. This is truly a great ideal, which right from the beginning has anticipated the theology of the lay state"''<ref></ref>
], a "sign that is spoken against", a term denied by liberal Catholics and secularists.]]
Various Popes and Catholic Church leaders strongly support what they see as Opus Dei's innovative teachings. For John Paul II, Opus Dei anticipated the theology of the laity of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). When Escrivá begun to spread Opus Dei's message, he faced challenges, misunderstandings and controversies, leading some Catholic leaders like ] to see Opus Dei as a ], a "sign that is spoken against" (Lk 2:34).
===Opus Dei in popular culture===
{{main|Criticisms of The Da Vinci Code}}
In the 1940s, some Jesuits led by Fr. Angel Carrillo de Albornoz, who later left the ], 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. These critics were additionally concerned that Opus Dei would take away vocations from the religious orders.
Since 2003, Opus Dei has received world attention as a result of Dan Brown's novel '']''.<ref></ref> In the novel, Opus Dei is portrayed as a villainous organization that is involved in a sinister international conspiracy.<ref></ref> The depiction of Opus Dei in the 2006 ] is scaled back and significantly less ominous than its depiction in the novel.<ref> </ref>
Based on reports from Spain, the ], Fr. ] (1866–1942), 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."<ref>Andres Vasquez de Prada: ''The Founder of Opus Dei. The Life of Josemaria Escrivá. Vol II: God and Daring.'', Scepter Publishers 1997, p. 387.</ref> 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 ], CNN's Vatican analyst and a Catholic American journalist.<ref>], .</ref>
Brown says that his portrayal of Opus Dei was based on interviews with members and ex-members, and books about Opus Dei.<ref></ref> However, many academics haved pointed out a number of inaccuracies in the novel. For example, the major villain in ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a monk who is member of Opus Dei-- but there are no monks in Opus Dei.<ref></ref> ''The Da Vinci Code'' implies that Opus Dei is the Pope's personal prelature-- in truth, the term "personal prelature" does not refer to a special relationship to the Pope; it means an institution in which the jurisdiction of the prelate is not linked to a geographic territory but over persons, wherever they be.<ref></ref> In general, few scholars give much credence to ''The Da Vinci Code'''s allegations of a global conspiracy involving Opus Dei.
In 1963, ], a prominent theologian and former Jesuit, described Opus Dei as "a concentration of fundamentalist power in the Church." (''Wort und Wahrheit''). On the other hand, V. Messori says that Von Balthasar retracted his views after more study and meeting members of Opus Dei, and even defended Opus Dei against attacks.<ref>Messori, Vittorio, ''Opus Dei, Leadership and Vision in Today's Catholic Church''. Regnery Publishing 1997.</ref>
===Contemporary responses to Opus Dei===
:''Main articles: ], ], ],]''
Some time after the reforms of the ], Opus Dei critics, mostly liberals, pointed out that it has an ultraconservative and reactionary vision of Catholicism.<ref>Urquhart, Gordon (1997). . Report for ''Catholics for a Free Choice''.</ref> Journalist and ] ] 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."
Modernly, Opus Dei is the source of both enthusiastic support as well as vehement criticism. Opus Dei has been called "the most controversial force in the Catholic Church", and Escrivá is often seen as a very "polarizing" figure.<ref>John Allen, Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church</ref><ref>Time , American Catholic</ref>
]
Messori and Allen say in contrast that the Opus Dei prelature does not have any doctrine other than the Catholic faith. Thinkers such as ] say the use of ''conservative'', a political category, on religious, moral, or intellectual matters is "implausible and distorting."<ref>Weigel, George. (November 2001). . ''Crisis Magazine''.</ref> These should be categorised, they say, as either faithful or heretical, good or evil, true or false. The "handing on" ('']'') of "living faith", writes Weigel, has the "capacity to inspire innovative thinking."
Opus Dei is the perfect storm, says Allen: It has become a center of the debate in the post-Vatican II polarization in Catholic politics.
====Criticism and 'cult' allegations====
In the English-speaking world, the most vocal critic of Opus Dei is a group called the (ODAN), a non-profit organization that exists "to provide education, outreach and support to people who have been adversely affected by Opus Dei."<ref></ref> Other critics include former members of Opus Dei, members of other religious groups (such as the Jesuits), liberal catholic theologians, supporters of ], and various "cult-watch" organizations. <ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>
===In society===
A variety of criticisms and allegations have been leveled at Opus Dei. Various critics have claimed:
After Escrivá's death in 1975, many people petitioned for his canonization, including one-third of the world's bishops.<ref>Gaspari, Antonio (June-July 1995). . ''Inside the Vatican''.</ref> According to Messori, this number and the number of people who attended his canonization in 2002 were unprecedented. Thus, Allen says "Escrivá is reviled by some and venerated by millions more."<ref>''Opus Dei'', p. 43.</ref>
*That Opus Dei maintains an extremely high amount of control over its members. Critics note that numeraries in Opus Dei generally submit all their incoming and outgoing mail to their superiors to read.<ref></ref> Critics also point to an alleged "Forbidden Books List" that details which books members are not allowed to read without the express permission of their superiors.<ref>Paul Moses, , Newsday </ref>
] and critics claim Opus Dei is cult-like. Conservative Catholic sociologist M. Introvigne says that Opus Dei is stigmatized by those who cannot tolerate a return to religion.]]
*That Opus Dei engages in deceptive or extremely aggressive recruitment practices. For example, critics claim that Opus Dei uses a cult-like recruitment technique called "]", in which potential members are showered with flattery and admiration by members of the organization in order to entice them into joining.<ref>http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060514/ENT05/605140346/1005/ARCHIVES</ref> <ref>http://www.odan.org/tw_opus_dei_survival_kit.htm</ref>
*That Opus Dei pressures numeraries to cut off social contact with non-members, including even their own families.<ref>Daily Record, ""</ref>
*That Opus Dei's use of mortification is a "startling" and "questionable" practice.<ref>http://www.odan.org/corporal_mortification.htm</ref>
*That Opus Dei is intensely secretive. Unlike most other religious groups, Opus Dei does not publish its memberships lists, and members generally do not publically reveal that they are part of the organization. This practice has led to rampant speculation about who may or may not be a member of Opus Dei. <!-- e.g. Justice Antonin Scalia and almost-Justice Robert Bork, Senators Rick Santorum and Sam Brownback, columnist Robert Novak and former FBI head Louis Freeh. Introvigne also.--><ref>, Time Magazine</ref>
*That Opus Dei's unique status as a personal prelature gives the organization too much independence from the rest of the Catholic Church, making it a "church within a church". <ref>{{cite web| year=10/02/2002 | url=http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/bulletin/eddesk.nsf/All/FFCE5D9C810F6C1BCA256C44001ACCC7| title=Opus Dei in the open| accessdate=2006-05-16| publisher=The Bulletin}}</ref>
*That Opus Dei exerts a disproportionately large influence within the Catholic Church. For example, critics claim that Escrivá was canonized as a saint after an unusually short period of time following his death and that there were other irregularities in the canonization process.<ref>Washington Monthly, [http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0510.baumann.html "Let There Be Light
A look inside the hidden world of Opus Dei"]</ref> (See ])
*That Opus Dei has ties to Far-Right politics and Fascism. Critics accuse Escrivá and Opus Dei of supporting the regimes of ], ], and to a lesser extent, ].<ref>ODAN ,</ref><ref></ref><ref>Fr. Vladimir Feltzman, , </ref> (see ])
Opus Dei, as a part of the Roman Catholic Church, also shares any critcisms of Catholicism in general. For example, some criticize the Vatican's prohibition of birth control or its patriarchal governance. (See ])
In 1995, Joan Estruch, director of the Centre d’Investigacions en Sociologia at the ], wrote ''Saints and Schemers: Opus Dei and its Paradoxes''. He argued that Opus Dei is but the work of Escrivá, whose motivations evolved over time. According to him, priests like Escriva enter the seminary only to improve their lot, and, at one point, Escrivá simply sought to modernise Spain. On the other hand, ] scholar, Fr. James V. Schall, Professor of Political Science at ], says that Estruch's work is subjective, arbitrary and unscientific.<ref>.</ref>
====Support and rebuttals====
In addition to its 80,000 members, Opus Dei has no shortage of supporters. According to one author, "Escrivá is ... venerated by millions".<ref>author John Allen</ref> One-third of the world's bishops sent letters petitioning for the canonization of Escrivá.<ref></ref> Approximately 300,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square on the day of Pope John II canonized Josemaria Escrivá.<ref></ref>
For its part, ODAN reports that wherever Opus Dei is, there is controversy. Opus Dei received world attention with the publication of ]'s ] in 2003. He said that he based his book on sources such as , by former ] and ex-priest Michael Walsh, who mentions a number of ] and ]s; by ], a journalist who supports ], which the Vatican says is ]-inspired; and by sociologist Alberto Moncada, an ex-numerary. There are other such writings found on the webpage of ODAN.<ref>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 ; by ex-numerary Maria Angustias Moreno, and ''Beyond the Threshold'' written by ex-numerary Maria Carmen del Tapia.</ref> Opus Dei is also listed on some sites of ] observer groups. Some ex-members, liberal Catholics and secularists have come together to criticize what they perceive as its power and wealth, its secrecy, its "being a church within the Church", its supposed ties to right-wing politics, "aggressive" recruitment and high control of its members. They also question the practice of corporal mortification.
The current pope, Benedict XVI, is also a particularly strong supporter of Opus Dei and of Escrivá. In 2002, Benedict XVI (then-named Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger), wrote that Escrivá was "an instrument with which God had acted" and spoke of Opus Dei's "surprising union of absolute fidelity to the Church’s great tradition, to its faith, and unconditional openness to all the challenges of this world, whether in the academic world, in the field of work, or in matters of the economy, etc."<ref></ref> He further explained:
], a prolific Catholic sociologist whose works appear in twelve scientific journals, says that these critics' texts are "of very poor scientific quality." A member of the ], he is called by secular anti-cult activists such as ] and Thomas Gandow "a ]." In 1994, Introvigne stated that Opus Dei critics use the term "cult" in order to attach a stigma against Opus Dei which has been their "prime target for years." ] fight Opus Dei, he says, because "they cannot tolerate 'the return to religion'" of the secularized society. ], which Protestant scholar ] calls the "last acceptable prejudice" in the West, is another factor in this fight.
:''"the theocentrism of Escrivá...means this confidence in the fact that God is working now and we ought only to put ourselves at his disposal...This, for me, is a message of greatest importance. It is a message that leads to overcoming what could be considered the great temptation of our times: the pretense that after the 'big bang' God retired from history."''<ref></ref>
Since secularists deny truth exists even in religious matters, mainline scientists, Introvigne says, reject the reports of anti-cult activists as unscholarly, including their method of labelling organisations.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cesnur.org/library/whatisit.htm| title=CESNUR: The Center for Studies on New Religions| accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref> Introvigne (1999) also states: As a prelature, Opus Dei is "at the very heart of the socio-administrative organisation of the Catholic Church." To label a prelature a "sect" either comes from (1) the use of "quantitative criteria" which does not examine beliefs but behavior and practices, or (2) a political desire of using a stigma against an enemy. Echoing the view of many sociologists, he says: if one uses quantitative elements or if one stigmatizes groups one does not like, one can find "sects" everywhere, including the Catholic Church as a whole.<ref>Introvigne, Massimo, in François Champion - Martin Cohen (eds.), ''Sectes et démocratie'', 1999, pp. 277-289. In 2005, Introvigne started giving courses at the ], a corporate undertaking of Opus Dei. The slogan "sects within the Church" is self-contradictory, ] tells Catholics in "From a theological and ecclesiastical point of view, a group is considered a sect when it is not recognized by the relevant Church authority."</ref> For example, several Catholic ]s, ], ], ] and ] are also in the list of cult observer groups.
Supporters of Opus Dei praise what they see as Opus Dei's educational and humanitarian achievements, such as the organization's schools, universities, and hospitals. They often liken Opus Dei to a family, and many claim members of Opus Dei resemble the members of the early Christian church.<ref></ref><ref></ref>
==Progressive or conservative?==
Supporters have a variety of responses to the charges made by critics. Many supporters of Opus Dei often argue that Opus Dei is merely misunderstood.<ref></ref> One author explained this view by saying "There are two Opus Deis: an Opus Dei of myth and an Opus Dei of reality." <ref>John Allen in Kansas City Star </ref> For example, supporters claim Opus Dei's relative silence stems not from a secretive nature, but rather is the result of a deep commitment to privacy, humility, and "avoidance of self-aggrandizement".<ref>John Allen</ref>
] Business School of the ]: rated one of the top business schools by ''The Financial Times'' and ''The Economist''.]]
In "Preserving Power and Privilege: The Vatican's Agenda in the European Union", ], a ] lobby group which promotes liberal views, criticizes Opus Dei and other lay Catholics groups. The CFFC categorises these Catholic lay organisations as groups which promote "neoconservative or fundamentalist moral and political beliefs", "extremely traditionalist", and "pre-enlightenment" messages in society.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cath4choice.org/topics/reform/documents/2003preservingpowerandprivilege.pdf| title=Preserving Power and Privilege: The Vatican's Agenda in the European Union| format=PDF| accessdate=2006-05-16| publisher=Catholics for a Free Choice}}</ref> Liberals and secularists argue that Opus Dei and these groups are opposing ] concepts such as ]s, ], ], ], ], ], and ].
In contrast, ] supports the religious instruction provided by these lay organizations and commented that Opus Dei unites "absolute fidelity" to the Church's faith and "unconditional openness to all the challenges of this world, in the academic world, in the world of work, in the world of economics, etc." There are also modern historians, many of whom are non-Catholics, who are now stating that the ] supports reason and progress. They put the Church "at the center of the development of the values, ideas, science, laws, and institutions which constitute what we call Western civilization", in the words of Paul Legutko of ] in his review of ]' book ''''.<ref>Woods refers to both non-Catholic and Catholic historians of science: , ], , , and ], ]; economists: ] and Raymund de Roover; art historians: ], Samuel Edgerton; historian of hospitals: ]. See also ]'s , Random House 2005.</ref>
In some cases, supporters deny the accusations outright. For example, supporters say that Opus Dei's relationship with the Franco government has been overstated.<ref></ref> Similarly ], the former Prelate of Opus Dei, said that any claims that Escrivá supported Hitler were "a patent falsehood," that was part of "a slanderous campaign".<ref>del Portillo 1996, p. 22-25</ref> In other cases, supporters cite religious justifications for the practices of Opus Dei. For example, supporters defend the practice of mortification within Opus Dei by citing Jesus's biblical command to "take up the cross"<ref>Mark 10:21</ref>, and by pointing out that many revered modern individuals, including ] and ], have also practiced mortification.<ref></ref> Some claim that a certain estrangement from family is appropriate, quoting Jesus's biblical comment that "He who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me".<ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/CHRIST/ORSECTS.HTM, Matthew 10:37</ref>
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==Notes==
Supporters of Opus Dei have also questioned the motives and reliability of the critics. They point out that former members of any religious group may have psychological or emotional motivations to criticize their former groups.<ref>Bryan Wilson</ref> Many supporters of Opus Dei have expressed the belief that the criticisms of Opus Dei stem from a generalized disapproval of spirituality, Christianity, or Catholicism. Expressing this sentiment, one Opus Dei member claimed "Opus Dei has become a victim of Christianophobia."<ref>]</ref> Another author argues that critics oppose Opus Dei because "they cannot tolerate 'the return to religion' of the secularized society".<ref>Dr. Massimo Introvigne</ref>
Lastly, some supporters of Opus Dei have viewed the controversy surrounding the organization as a "]". Proponents of this view hold that blessed, divinely-inspired Christian organizations will always be criticized, just as Jesus was criticized by his contemporaries. Accordingly, they see the very existence of critics as further proof of the organization's sanctity.<ref>John Cardinal Heenan, ] , Messori 1997, Richard Gordon </ref>
;Official Catholic Church documents
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==Other Misplaced Pages articles on Opus Dei==
* (Current statutes of Opus Dei in Latin, the original language)
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* — From original Latin to English (unauthorized translation)
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*Pope John Paul II. Sacred Congregation for Bishops. (] ]).
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* Pope John Paul II. (] ]).
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* (Antiquated statutes of Opus Dei) — Latin and English (unauthorized translation)
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*Pope John Paul II. (] ]). — summarizes Escriva and Opus Dei's mission, work, message, and the main features of his teachings
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;Official references of the Prelature of Opus Dei
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*Escrivá, Josemaria. , Scepter Publishers — the founder's teachings and explanations about Opus Dei; the most basic reference
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* Müller, Beat. — a basic text given to journalists
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* Shaw, Russel (1994). — from the Office of Communications, Prelature of Opus Dei in the US
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;Writings of members
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* Berglar, Peter (1994). . Scepter. — in-depth historical study; available on-line
* Hahn, Scott (2006). . Random House Double Day Religion. ISBN 978-0-385-51924-3 — reflections of a former Presbyterian minister
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* {{cite book|author=Le Tourneau, Dominique|title=What Is Opus Dei?|publisher=Gracewing|year=2002|id=ISBN 0-85244-136-3}} — a basic text; a French scholar's synthesis
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* {{cite book|author=Rodriguez, Pedro; Ocariz, Fernando; & Illanes, José Luis|title=Opus Dei in the Church|publisher=Four Courts Press|year=1994|id=ISBN 1-85182-170-8}} — in-depth ecclesiological study
*]
* O'Connor, William (1991). ''Opus Dei: An Open Book. A Reply to the Secret World of Opus Dei by Michael Walsh''. Mercier.
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*Pakaluk, Michael (June 1978). . ''The Family.'' — a typical day in the life of a member of Opus Dei
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;Writings of non-members
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* Allen, John, Jr. (2005). , Doubleday Religion. ISBN 0-385-51449-2 — book written after 300 hours of interviews by a journalist of ''National Catholic Reporter'', a left leaning newspaper; link refers to a summary Q&A. Some on-line excerpts are: , , ,
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* Allen, John, Jr. (December ]). . Transcript of a talk presented at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
* Allen, John, Jr. (] ]). . An Interview with John Allen, by Edward Pentin. ''Newsweek''. — a short summary of his book
==External links==
*Estruch, Joan (1995).'' Saints and Schemers: Opus Dei and its paradoxes''.
{{main|Opus Dei: Bibliography}}
*] (2005) "What Is Opus Dei", Publisher:Conspiracy Books / Collins and Brown, London. Year: 2005 Pages: 256pp. ISBN 1-84340-288-2.
===Sites Supporting Opus Dei===
*Goodstein, Laurie (] ]). . ''New York Times''.
*Hutchison, Robert (1999).'' Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei''.
* Introvigne, Massimo (May 1994). . ''Cristianità'', 229, p. 3-12.
* {{cite book|author=Messori, Vittorio|title=Opus Dei, Leadership and Vision in Today's Catholic Church|publisher=Regnery Publishing|year=1997|id=ISBN 0-89526-450-1}} — an investigation (''Un' indagine'', the original Italian title) done by the journalist behind and the
*Neuhaus, Richard John (November 1995). . ''First Things'', 57, p.71-87.
*Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal (Benedict XVI) (] ]). . ''L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English'', p. 3.
* Royal, Robert (May 1998). . ''First Things'', 83, p. 56-59.
*Sector, Charlotte (] ]). . ''ABC News''.
*Tapia, Maria del Carmen (1997). . — by former numerary
* {{cite book|author= Thierry, Jean-Jacques|title=Opus Dei: A Close Up|publisher=Scepter|year=1975|id=ISBN 0-933932-32-4}} — the first serious study on Opus Dei to be published, written by a French journalist
*Urquhart, Gordon (1995). ''The Pope's Armada: Unlocking the Secrets of Mysterious and Powerful New Sects in the Church''.
*US News and World Report, Special Edition. .
*Van Biema, David (] ]). . ''Time Magazine''. Cover Story.
*Walsh, Michael (2004). ''Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Powerful Secretive Society within the Catholic Church.'' Harper San Francisco.
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;Sites supporting the Prelature of Opus Dei
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*
*
*
*
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* — website of writer Fr. McCloskey, priest of Opus Dei
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* — a former supernumerary's Q & A on Opus Dei
===Sites Critical of Opus Dei===
* — and by William West
*
* (inSpanish)
*
*
*
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* — a publication of the Catholic League
==Footnotes==
* — a personal blog of Fr. John Wauck, a priest of Opus Dei
* — Website by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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* (ODAN.org) — by ex-members and their families
* — hundreds of “internal” documents and around 10,000 testimonies and analysis from both members and ex-members. (Spanish)
The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, commonly known as Opus Dei (Latin for "Work of God") or the Work, is an international organization of the Roman Catholic Church whose mission is to spread the Christian message that God calls everyone to become a saint and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The Opus Dei prelature comprises ordinary lay people and secular priests governed by a prelate.
Founded in 1928 by a Catholic priest, Saint Josemaría Escrivá, Opus Dei was established as a personal prelature by Pope John Paul II in 1982. The first, and so far the only one, this prelature now coexists with episcopal dioceses as an official part of the Church's institutional structures. According to the Vatican Yearbook of 2004, Opus Dei has more than 85,000 members.
Various Popes and Catholic Church leaders strongly support what they see as Opus Dei's innovative teaching on the sanctifying value of work in the secular world and its loyalty to the Church. Still, since its foundation Opus Dei has been subjected to criticism and opposition. Liberals and secularists accuse it of secrecy, elitism, ultraconservatism, and support for the extreme right-wing in politics. Some ex-members accuse it of cult-like recruitment and of violating their rights.
CNN's Vatican analyst, John L. Allen, Jr., and Dr. Vittorio Messori, respected journalists and Catholics, stated that these accusations are mere myths, a far cry from Opus Dei's reality. In 1994, Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a prolific sociologist 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, its opponents unfairly stigmatize Opus Dei. Allen describes Opus Dei as "the most controversial force in the Catholic Church", receiving both support and opposition. Due to this, many Catholics see Opus Dei as a sign of contradiction.
History, mission, and name
Further information: Timeline of Opus DeiFile:Stjosemariaprayercard.jpgImage seen on the Official Prayer Card to St. Josemaría Escrivá upon his canonization on 6 October2002. On that day, Pope John Paul II called Opus Dei's founder "the saint of ordinary life."
Opus Dei was founded by a Catholic priest, Josemaría Escrivá, on 2 October1928 in Madrid, Spain. Escrivá said that the founding of Opus Dei had a "supernatural character." On that day he "saw Opus Dei." Described as a Catholic teaching entity, 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."
Escrivá gave the organization the name "Opus Dei", which, in Latin, means "Work of God." Pope John Paul II stated that Escrivá had founded it led by divine inspiration. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) said that it was not Escriva's work but God's Work, Opus Dei. "The Lord simply made use of him who allowed God to work."
Initially, Opus Dei was open only to men, but in 1930, Escrivá created the women's branch. 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, he was able to return to Madrid. In 1939, Escrivá published The Way, a collection of 999 maxims concerning spirituality. In 1946, he moved its headquarters to Rome. In 1950 with the first constitutions, Pope Pius XII granted it the definitive approval, thereby allowing married people to join the organization. In 1982, John Paul II made Opus Dei into a personal prelature with new statutes, and in 2002, canonized its founder.
Catholic Church and Opus Dei
Filipino painting titled Magpakabanal sa gawain: "Be a saint through your work."
As an organisation within the Catholic Church, Opus Dei shares its doctrines, while emphasising 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 ordinary Christians. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (2002) explained his teaching: 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.
Holiness in ordinary life
Escrivá —a "Christ-centred" saint, says Ratzinger— emphasised that ordinary Christians follow Jesus, God the Son, 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), Escrivá encouraged Christians to work excellently out of love. By doing so, their work is a service to society and a fitting offering to God. "'Great' holiness consists in carrying out the 'little duties' of each moment", says Escrivá.
Secularity and freedom
Each person is free —in control of his actions— and thus responsible for his spiritual and social life. Jesus redeemed us with the free choice of love: As man, he obeyed his Father's will throughout his life of work, "unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:8). Each one then directs himself with autonomy in earthly affairs towards eternal union with or separation from God, the two ultimate ends of life.
Contemplatives in the middle of the world
All of creation is sanctified by the God-made-flesh: movies, boardrooms, gardens, sports are meeting points with the Father God who is near. This message, says Franz Cardinal König (1975), the perceived leader of the "progressivists" in Vatican II, shows that the two separated worlds of religious life and professional life "should in fact walk together." File:Ratzinger Szczepanow 2003 10.JPGCardinal Joseph Ratzinger now Benedict XVI: This message "leads to overcoming the great temptation of our time: the pretence that after the 'big bang' God retired from history."
Charity and daily evangelization
Holiness, according to Catholic theology, is a response of love to God's self-sacrificing love. And love is nurtured by regular acts of prayer ("norms of piety") which are centred on Christ in the Eucharist. Charity consists of understanding, compassion, courtesy, helping the needy, fraternal correction, and cheer, Escrivá says. Love is orderly and should start with one's duties. Charity entails apostolate, leading people to God.
Unity of life
By practicing these teachings, a Christian has no double life; he has a unity of life. This, according to Escrivá, 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.
Divine filiation and joy
According to Escrivá, the foundation of the Christian life is one's "divine filiation": being children of God, "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pt 1:4), 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."
That everyone is called to sanctity was already taught 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 Pope John Paul I. "For him, it is the material work itself which must be turned into prayer and sanctity", thus providing a lay spirituality.
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.
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 —like military ordinariates— 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 John Paul II's Ut Sit.
While 2000 bishops who were consulted supported this decision according to the Vatican, critics like Kenneth Woodward, the longtime religion editor and senior writer for Newsweek, consider that Opus Dei, through its juridical status has become a "church within the Church."
File:PerottetOpusDeisupernumerary.jpgPerrottet family of Sydney. Members are inspired by Catholic teaching that "large families are a sign of God's blessing and the parents' generosity" (CCC 2373).
According to Catholic officials, while everyone is called to holiness, not all are called to Opus Dei. Being ordinary Catholics, and not nuns or priests, Opus Dei members are incorporated into the prelature not by means of vows, but by private contracts. They have to freely ask to be incorporated, convinced they have received a vocation. Members are committed to attend regular meetings, practice its teachings, and spread its message in the midst of their work. Since there is one vocation to Opus Dei, there are no degrees of membership. The terminology for the types of members refer to the different circumstances in which they live their vocation:
Supernumeraries account for about 70% of the total membership. Typically, supernumeraries are married men and women who have normal careers and lead traditional family lives. Due to these obligations, supernumeraries are not as available to assist in organisational matters as the other types of members. They contribute financially to Opus Dei.
Numeraries, who comprise about 20% of total membership, are celibate members who usually live in special centres run by Opus Dei. These centres are gender-segregated, with only very minimal contact between male and female numeraries. Numeraries generally have normal careers and devote the bulk of their income to the organisation.
Numerary assistants are unmarried, female members. Their professional life is dedicated to looking after the domestic needs of the centres.
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 centres.
The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross is the association of priests united with the prelature. Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature: numeraries and associates who were called to the priesthood are automatically members of the Priestly Society. Other members are normal diocesan priests.
The Cooperators of Opus Dei are non-members, including non-Christians, who collaborate in some way with Opus Dei, usually through praying, charitable contributions, or by providing some other assistance.
Instruction and training
The Opus Dei prelature's main office in New York City. It has rooms for retreats, workshops, conferences, and spiritual direction.
A Christian becomes a saint, according to Opus Dei's founder, principally through God's mercy, and thus he emphasised frequent confession and other 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 he says Christians should have "the piety of children and the sure doctrine of theologians."
He holds that the "paramount means" of training is one-on-one 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. Training in Opus Dei is based on the single-sex education model.
Actual practice
After one year of research among members of Opus Dei, John Allen, Jr. of CNN 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 evangelisation "seamlessly" combining with their work.
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," John Paul II canonized him on 6 October2002, and called him "the saint of ordinary life." In his Decree of Canonisation, 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, Josemaría Escrivá's canonisation sparked controversy. Critics such as Kenneth Woodward said he was undeserving and that the process of canonisation was lightning fast and marred by irregularities. Historian Eamon Duffy of Cambridge University stated: "The canonisation 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 canonisations, states it was the promoters' efficiency, the reforms in the canonisation 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 St. Josemaría may even undercut efforts to enhance the role of the laity in the life of the Church.
There are other members whose process of beatification has been opened: Ernesto Cofiño, a father of five children and a pioneer in pediatric research in Guatemala; 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.
Some former members are highly critical of Opus Dei and have set up websites such as the Opus Dei Awareness Network (ODAN) and Opus Libros to inform people of their allegations of cult-like behaviour in Opus Dei. On the other hand Allen says their views are countered by many other ex-members, the present members, and the estimated 900,000 people who attend activities of Opus Dei. He 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" to meet their "need for self-justification."
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 report of aggressive recruitment whereby members initially hide their links to Opus Dei; persuade recruits not to tell their families, or maintain contact with them; 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." 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 recognised 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)"
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 and self-denial
Main article: MortificationCloseup of a cilice-- a small metal chain with inwardly-pointing spikes: a modern version of traditional penance such as the sackcloth and the hairshirt.
Much public attention has focused on Opus Dei's practice of mortification-- the voluntary offering up of discomfort or pain to God. Mortification has a long history in many world religions, and has been practiced continually throughout Catholic history as a way of following Christ's advice: "renounce yourself, take up the cross daily, and follow me."
Members of Opus Dei, like many Catholics, perform ordinary day to day sacrifices. 20% of members, the numeraries, have additionally some "corporal mortifications", such as sleeping on the floor once a week and briefly flailing themselves with a "discipline", a rope small enough to fit in one hand. They also wear a cilice for two hours each day-- a small metal chain with inwardly-pointing spikes that is worn around the upper thigh. The spikes cause discomfort, but are too small to cause injury, members say. John Allen reports that its practice in the Catholic Church is fairly widespread, having been used by modern saintly persons such as Blessed Mother Teresa, Saint Padre Pio and slain archbishop Óscar Romero. 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.
Supporters say that corporal mortification plays an incidental role in the lives of its members, in view of all the other typical activities they partake in. Escriva's statement: "Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain... Glorify pain!" is viewed by some in a negative light while supporters say it is better viewed as a statement of union with the saving pains of Jesus Christ. Supporters state that Escriva prohibited members of Opus Dei from practicing the same types of physical mortification he undertook, and that he prescribed a more benign form of mortification for their use.
File:Romanaopusdei.jpgRomana, official bulletin of the Opus Dei prelature, provides information on its directors, members, and their activities.
Catholic leaders see Opus Dei as one among many lay organizations whose task is to enable lay Catholics to take the initiative in their specific church mission "to illuminate and order all temporal things... permeating social, political, and economic realities with the demands of Christian doctrine and life." (CCC 898-9) 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." Thus, evangelization in Opus Dei is done one-on-one through its "apostolate of friendship and confidence."
"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 Fr. James Martin S.J., however, Opus Dei's strategy involves secrecy in its recruitment, internal affairs, and finances. And so, Hans Küng, the President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic and a prolific Swiss liberal theologian whose license as a Roman Catholic theologian was withdrawn in 1979, concludes that Opus Dei is a "reactionary secret political and theological organisation." (Küng, The Catholic Church: A Short History, 2002)
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 foundational grace, 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 normal professionals are not official representatives of their alma maters or parishes, the faithful of the prelature do not set up official Catholic institutions but rather act in their own name as private citizens. Allen states 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 difference from religious orders.
Members and their activities
File:Condorayperuopusdeimembers.jpgPeruvian members of Opus Dei and their friends: Members, says Messori, are mostly from the middle and lower classes.
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: 1,600 in Africa; 4,700 in Asia and the Pacific; 29,000 in North and South America; and 48,700 Europe. 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 among its ranks than what is normal because of its emphasis on the evangelization of culture.
Critics accuse Opus Dei of elitism, of siding with the powerful against the weak (Johann Hari 2004), and of excessive power and wealth (Robert Hutchinson 1999). On the other hand, Allen says: the social work of the members takes place through their daily relationships and in the year 2005 they have cooperated with other people in setting up 608 social initiatives: schools and university residences (68%), technical or agricultural training (26%), universities, business schools and hospitals (6%). Worldwide revenue of Opus Dei is that of a mid-sized American diocese. And its numbers among bishops do not make it a potent force in the Church. John Cardinal O'Connor says the accusations border on calumny. Still, Scott Appleby, a Catholic history expert at the University of Notre Dame, estimates that Opus Dei informs "about a million conservative Catholics" in the U.S.
Escrivá, said John Allen, was staunchly non-political. 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 secularity—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. These 8 ministers were technocrats appointed to be part in leading the economic progress later known as the Spanish Miracle. 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." 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. These include Rafael Calvo Serer, and Antonio Fontan who fought for press freedom and democracy, and later became the first Senate President of Spain's democracy.
Allen states: While two of the most visible Opus Dei politicians in the world -- (Paula) Binetti, (a senator-elect) in Italy, and Ruth Kelly, the Local Government Minister in England -- are now women who belong to center-left parties, there is a sociological reality that the kind of people attracted to Opus Dei tend to be conservative, theologically and politically.
Some Catholics believe Opus Dei is a sign of contradiction, a "sign that is spoken against", a term denied by liberal Catholics and secularists.
Various Popes and Catholic Church leaders strongly support what they see as Opus Dei's innovative teachings. For John Paul II, Opus Dei anticipated the theology of the laity of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). When Escrivá begun to spread Opus Dei's message, he faced challenges, misunderstandings and controversies, leading some Catholic leaders like Cardinal Heenan to see Opus Dei as a sign of contradiction, a "sign that is spoken against" (Lk 2:34).
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. These critics were additionally concerned that Opus Dei would take away vocations from the religious orders.
Based on reports from Spain, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Wlodimir Ledochowski (1866–1942), 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." 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 1963, Hans Urs von Balthasar, a prominent theologian and former Jesuit, described Opus Dei as "a concentration of fundamentalist power in the Church." (Wort und Wahrheit). On the other hand, V. Messori says that Von Balthasar retracted his views after more study and meeting members of Opus Dei, and even defended Opus Dei against attacks.
Some time after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Opus Dei critics, mostly liberals, pointed out that it has an ultraconservative and reactionary vision of Catholicism. Journalist and 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 the Catholic faith. Thinkers such as George Weigel say the use of conservative, a political category, on religious, moral, or intellectual matters is "implausible and distorting." These should be categorised, they say, as either faithful or heretical, good or evil, true or false. 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 a center of the debate in the post-Vatican II polarization in Catholic politics.
In society
After Escrivá's death in 1975, many people petitioned for his canonization, including one-third of the world's bishops. According to Messori, this number and the number of people who attended his canonization in 2002 were unprecedented. Thus, Allen says "Escrivá is reviled by some and venerated by millions more."
File:DaVinciCode US.pngThe Da Vinci Code and critics claim Opus Dei is cult-like. Conservative Catholic sociologist M. Introvigne says that Opus Dei is stigmatized by those who cannot tolerate a return to religion.
In 1995, Joan Estruch, director of the Centre d’Investigacions en Sociologia at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, wrote Saints and Schemers: Opus Dei and its Paradoxes. He argued that Opus Dei is but the work of Escrivá, whose motivations evolved over time. According to him, priests like Escriva enter the seminary only to improve their lot, and, at one point, Escrivá simply sought to modernise Spain. 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.
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 in 2003. He said that he based his book on sources such as Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Secret Society Struggling for Power Within the Roman Catholic Church, by former Jesuit and ex-priest Michael Walsh, who mentions a number of conspiracy theories and scandals; People of God by Penny Lernoux, a journalist who supports liberation theology, which the Vatican says is Marxist-inspired; and "Catholic Sects: Opus Dei" by sociologist Alberto Moncada, an ex-numerary. There are other such writings found on the webpage of ODAN. Opus Dei is also listed on some sites of cult observer groups. Some ex-members, liberal Catholics and secularists have come together to criticize what they perceive as its power and wealth, its secrecy, its "being a church within the Church", its supposed ties to right-wing politics, "aggressive" recruitment and high control of its members. They also question the practice of corporal mortification.
Massimo Introvigne, a prolific Catholic sociologist whose works appear in twelve scientific journals, says that these critics' texts are "of very poor scientific quality." A member of the Alleanza Cattolica, he is called by secular anti-cult activists such as Stephen A. Kent and Thomas Gandow "a cult apologist." In 1994, Introvigne stated that Opus Dei 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. Anti-Catholicism, which Protestant scholar Philip Jenkins calls the "last acceptable prejudice" in the West, is another factor in this fight.
Since secularists deny truth exists even in religious matters, mainline scientists, Introvigne says, reject the reports of anti-cult activists as unscholarly, including their method of labelling organisations. Introvigne (1999) also states: As a prelature, Opus Dei is "at the very heart of the socio-administrative organisation of the Catholic Church." To label a prelature a "sect" either comes from (1) the use of "quantitative criteria" which does not examine beliefs but behavior and practices, or (2) a political desire of using a stigma against an enemy. Echoing the view of many sociologists, he says: if one uses quantitative elements or if one stigmatizes groups one does not like, one can find "sects" everywhere, including the Catholic Church as a whole. For example, several Catholic religious orders, Amway, multi-level marketing, Charismatics and YWCA are also in the list of cult observer groups.
In "Preserving Power and Privilege: The Vatican's Agenda in the European Union", Catholics for a Free Choice, a pro-choice lobby group which promotes liberal views, criticizes Opus Dei and other lay Catholics groups. The CFFC categorises these Catholic lay organisations as groups which promote "neoconservative or fundamentalist moral and political beliefs", "extremely traditionalist", and "pre-enlightenment" messages in society. Liberals and secularists argue that Opus Dei and these groups are opposing progressivist concepts such as gay marriages, divorce, contraception, euthanasia, abortion, stem cell research, and human cloning.
In contrast, Benedict XVI supports the religious instruction provided by these lay organizations and commented that Opus Dei unites "absolute fidelity" to the Church's faith and "unconditional openness to all the challenges of this world, in the academic world, in the world of work, in the world of economics, etc." There are also modern historians, many of whom are non-Catholics, who are now stating that the Catholic Church supports reason and progress. They put the Church "at the center of the development of the values, ideas, science, laws, and institutions which constitute what we call Western civilization", in the words of Paul Legutko of Stanford University in his review of Thomas Woods' book How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization.
See works of Escrivá and commentaries such as Belda, M.; Escudero J.; Illanes, J.L.; & O'Callaghan, P. (Eds.) (1997). Holiness and the World: Studies in the Teachings of Blessed Josemariá Escrivá. Scepter Publications.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)— collection of contributions to a theological symposium; contributors include Ratzinger, del Portillo, Cottier, dalla Torre, Ocariz, Illanes, Aranda, Burggraf and an address by John Paul II ISBN 1-890177-04-0
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.
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.
Kenneth Woodward (2002-10-02). "Opus Dei in the open". (citing from:) Newsweek. The Bulletin. Retrieved 2006-05-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
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."
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 "Let There Be Light - A look inside the hidden world of Opus Dei" (Washington Monthly October/November 2005), 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.
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.
Preston, Paul, Franco. A Biography, London: HarperCollins, 1993, p. 669.
Crozier, Brian, Franco, A Biographical History, Little, Brown and Company 1967.
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.
Le Tourneau, Dominique (2002). What Is Opus Dei?. Gracewing. ISBN 0-85244-136-3. — a basic text; a French scholar's synthesis
Rodriguez, Pedro; Ocariz, Fernando; & Illanes, José Luis (1994). Opus Dei in the Church. Four Courts Press. ISBN 1-85182-170-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) — in-depth ecclesiological study
O'Connor, William (1991). Opus Dei: An Open Book. A Reply to the Secret World of Opus Dei by Michael Walsh. Mercier.
Pakaluk, Michael (June 1978). "Opus Dei In Everyday Life". The Family. — a typical day in the life of a member of Opus Dei
Messori, Vittorio (1997). Opus Dei, Leadership and Vision in Today's Catholic Church. Regnery Publishing. ISBN 0-89526-450-1. — an investigation (Un' indagine, the original Italian title) done by the journalist behind Crossing the Threshold of Hope and the Ratzinger Report
Neuhaus, Richard John (November 1995). "The Work of God". First Things, 57, p.71-87.
Thierry, Jean-Jacques (1975). Opus Dei: A Close Up. Scepter. ISBN 0-933932-32-4. — the first serious study on Opus Dei to be published, written by a French journalist
Urquhart, Gordon (1995). The Pope's Armada: Unlocking the Secrets of Mysterious and Powerful New Sects in the Church.
