| Revision as of 08:19, 7 October 2002 edit213.253.40.151 (talk) Pope John Paul II made them his personal prelature in 1983.← Previous edit | Revision as of 08:59, 7 October 2002 edit undoOlivier (talk | contribs)Administrators98,448 editsmNo edit summaryNext edit → | ||
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| (Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, The Way, 208) | (Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, The Way, 208) | ||
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==External links== | ||
| * http://www.opusdei.org/ | * http://www.opusdei.org/ | ||
| * http://www.mond.at/opus.dei/ | * http://www.mond.at/opus.dei/ | ||
Revision as of 08:59, 7 October 2002
Opus Dei ("God's Work") is a powerful and influential conservative Roman Catholic organization founded in 1928 by Josemaria Escriva (who styled himself with the aristocratic title "de Balaguer"), who was canonized in 2002. Pope John Paul II made them his personal prelature in 1983.
They are regarded by some as a religious cult. Their detractors accuse them of being influenced by fascist ideas: Escriva was certainly a supporter of Francisco Franco.
They practice mortification of the flesh, viewed by some as a form of algolagnia. Josemaria Escriva is recorded as having whipped himself until the wall of the room were splattered with blood.
"Blessed be pain. Loved be pain. Sanctified be pain. . . Glorified be pain!" (Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, The Way, 208)