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Opus Dei is today one of the most controversial movements in the Catholic Church. While it is supported by various Popes and conservative Catholic leaders, many opponents allege it applies cult-like practices in recruitment and treatment of members. Others allege that Opus Dei has ultraconservative theology, practices misogyny, secrecy, and supports dictatorships. They also criticize its influence in church and society. CNN's Vatican analyst, John Allen, Jr., and Dr. Vittorio Messori, both Catholic journalist, state that these allegations are mere myths, a far cry from Opus Dei's reality.

The opposition to Opus Dei started from its very foundation, started by some Jesuits who took it as a heresy for preaching that ordinary lay people can pursue sanctity without becoming monks or priests. Later this opposition grew as much inside as outside the catholic Church, mainly when some members of Opus Dei became ministers of the government of Spanish dictator Franco, and other high positions inside this regime. Opus Dei supporters believe that this opposition was taken up by the "liberal" Catholics and some ex members who later joined forces with secularist groups who form part of the anti-cult movement, specially tending to support liberation theology, a theology and political activism, particularly in areas of social justice, poverty and human rights. The Vatican condemned liberation theology accusing it of Marxist tendencies.

Later, some ex-members who felt harmed by Opus Dei practices, joined together to express their experiences within the group. Thus was born the Opus Dei Awareness Network (ODAN) which intends to be a support for those who have been "adversely affected by Opus Dei." Reader Emeritus of Sociology of the University of Oxford, Bryan R. Wilson studied the cults phenomenon and new religious movements. About former members he states 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. Although Jack Valero, Spokesman of Opus Dei in the UK says that does not put in doubt the credibility of the people who count their bad experiences.

Dianne DiNicola, executive director of ODAN has said: "The biggest problem we have with Opus Dei is that a person is not free to make their own decisions. They live in a controlled environment and all the while Opus Dei hides behind the Catholic Church." According to Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist and conservative Catholic scholar, these secularists groups could not tolerate what he saw as "a return to religion of the secularized society,".

The opposition to Opus Dei reached a special point with the publication of The Da Vinci Code in 2003 and the release of its film version in May 2006. According to observers, the book and film led to a greater awareness of Opus Dei, even bringing about an increase in its membership, while its opponents continued their consolidation of forces.

Allen describes Opus Dei as "the most controversial force in the Catholic Church," receiving both support and opposition. Due to this, some sympathizing Catholics see Opus Dei as a sign of contradiction.

History of opposition

In the 1940s, some Jesuits led by Fr. Angel Carrillo de Albornoz, who later left the Society of Jesus, denounced Opus Dei's teachings as "a new heresy." It is not orthodox, they said, to teach that the laity can be holy without public vows and distinctive clothing. Also, these critics were concerned that Opus Dei would take away vocations from the religious orders. When Escrivá begun to spread Opus Dei's message that everyone is called to become a saint and that ordinary life is a path to holiness, he faced challenges, misunderstandings and controversies, leading some Catholic leaders like Cardinal John Carmel Heenan to see Opus Dei as a sign of contradiction.

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 allegations 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 one of the root of present-day accusations coming from the most varied quarters. This is the conclusion of some writers, including John L. Allen, Jr., CNN's Vatican analyst.

"There was no longer any room for religion", Messori says, "in a postmodern technological culture". With the proliferation of new religious movements, "what was happening was exactly the opposite of what had been predicted by the usual 'experts': sociologists, futurologists, and even theologians and specialists in different religious matters, not excluding many priests and bishops," says Messori.

According to Introvigne, he finds it strange that liberal Catholics have joined the secularist anti-cult movement. He suggests that the reason is that "they are eager to find powerful and wealthy allies, of similar ideologies, in their polemics against Opus Dei and other Catholic entities who wish to remain orthodox and faithful to the Magisterium."

Opus Dei received world attention with the publication of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code in 2003.

Critics and their characteristics

Critics of Opus Dei are found in various fields:

Former members and their families, or parents of members

• Dianne DiNicola mother of former numerary, and executive director of ODAN.
• Tammy DiNicola, former numerary and daughter of the founder of ODAN
• Maria del Carmen Tapia, a former high-ranking member of the organisation who was a member of Opus Dei for twenty years and author of the book Beyond the Threshold* in 1998. (ISBN 0-8264-1096-0)
• Prof. John Roche, Linacre College, Oxford, numerary for 14 years author of "The Inner World of Opus Dei".
• Dennis Dubro, ex former numerary and director, who wrote "Seventeen years in Opus Dei". He said "I saw Opus Dei do a lot of things which are repugnant to the consciences of decent and upright people"
• Agustina López de los Mozos Muñoz former numerary, founder and coordinator of Opuslibros.
• Maria Angustias Moreno, former numerary. Author of "El Opus Dei. Anexo a una historia" 1976
• Isabel de Armas, who wrote "Ser mujer en el Opus Dei"
• Prof. Alberto Moncada, sociologist and doctor in law, founding Pro-Rector of an Opus Dei related university in Latin America. Moncada's sociological analysis of Opus Dei is widely quoted in the media and he was asked to give his deposition in the process of beatification of Escriva. He wrote "Historia oral del Opus Dei", Catholic Sects: Opus Dei and "Los hijos del Padre"
• "Our Lady and St. Joseph in Search of the Lost Child" or "Ad Hoc Alliance to defend the Fourth Commandment", an association of catholics. The booklet Parents' Guide to Opus Dei (New York 1993) by J. Garvey describes the alleged sectarian character of Opus Dei.

Liberal writers and groups

• Kenneth L. Woodward, responsible for Newsweek’s Religion section since 1964, and author of "Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn’t, and Why".
• Penny Lernoux Catholic journalist who worked by the National Catholic Reporter as a Latin American correspondent. Author of People of God
• Catholics for a free choice, a pro-choice group in the US, that „is not a Catholic organization” according to the US Catholic Bishops. But a critical organization of progressive catholics.
• Joan Estruch, professor of sociology at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain. Author of "Saints and Schemers : Opus Dei and Its Paradoxes".
• Robert Hutchison, author of "Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei"
• Gordon Urquhart who wrote "The Pope's Armada: Unlocking the Secrets of Mysterious and Powerful New Sects in the Church"
• Luis Carandell, journalist who wrote "Vida y milagros de Monseñor Escrivá de Balaguer" 1992.
• Emilio J. Corbiere who wrote "El totalitarismo católico" Ed. Sudamericana (2002)
• Jesus Ynfante, spanish journalist who wrote "La aventura prodigiosa del Opus Dei" in 1970. And "El santo fundador del Opus Dei" in 2002.

Liberal Catholic theologians and Representatives of liberation theology

• Hans Küng, who describes Opus Dei as "reactionary secret political and theological organisation from Franco's Spain, which has been involved in scandals connected with banks, universities and governments . . . which has features characteristic of the Middle Ages and counter-Reformation".
• Juan José Tamayo Acosta, Spanish theologist, and Director of the Chair of Theology and Sciences of the Religions "Ignacio Ellacuría", of the University Carlos III of Madrid. (Spain)
• Leonardo Boff
• Some Peruvian bishops opposing Opus Dei cardinal Cipriani.

Jesuits and ex-Jesuits

• James Martin, editor of the Catholic magazine America:

"I would say 95 percent of the stuff that Opus Dei does, is great, I mean, lay spirituality and helping people understand God in their work. I think that's terrific. There is a part of Opus Dei, however, their recruitment techniques, their penchant for secrety, some of the ways in which they operate in the church that really needs to be looked at." Template:Ref:Lawton

• Michael Walsh, author of "The secret world of Opus Dei" (1989), "Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Powerful Secretive Society within the Catholic Church" and "Opus Dei: Secret Society" is an ex-Jesuit.

Others

Cardinal Hume who was no opponent of Opus Dei, but issued some restrictions for it in his diocese

Factors behind opposition

Understanding of Opus Dei's nature

According to John Allen, one of the original sources of criticism on Opus Dei are some members of the Society of Jesus who did not understand Opus Dei's big difference from religious orders. Opus Dei is composed of ordinary lay Christians who are taking their baptism-based calling to become holy, as the first Christians did without in any way being externally distinguished from other citizens of the Roman Empire, as Escriva explained.

The first one to organize a campaign against Opus Dei was Fr. Ángel Carrillo de Albornoz, who later left the Society of Jesus. In 1941, he said that Opus Dei is a new heresy of the Church for preaching that it is possible for lay people to be holy without having to wear special clothing and live in a religious convent. This report reached the Vatican through the Superior-General of the Jesuits, Fr. Vladimir Ledochowski who said that Opus Dei is of a "secretive nature" and is "dangerous for the church in Spain." Ledochowski also stated that Opus Dei aimed for world domination through a form of Christian masonry.

Aside from this full-blown campaign in the 1940s, there were other attacks from Jesuits in the 1950s who told some Italian parents of members of Opus Dei that their sons were being led to damnation. Another Jesuits writer against Opus Dei was Michael Walsh, who later left the Society of Jesus. According to Allen, the attacks of the Jesuits, who are a respected group in the Church, are the root of many present day attacks against Opus Dei.

According to Messori, the Jesuits and some clerical sectors were also one of the originators of the "myth" and "black legend" that Opus Dei supported facism. From then on, Opus Dei has been associated with ultra-right wing regimes.

Relation with Jesuits and Catholic liberals

Allen talks about a rivalry betweent the Jesuits and Opus Dei. Intellectual Richard John Neuhaus said the following: "The opposition to Opus Dei cannot be explained without at least some reference to jealousy. Competition and jealousy among religious movements in the Catholic Church is nothing new, and some Opus Dei members are not hesitant to suggest that theirs is now the role in the Church once played by the Jesuits. The Jesuits, who were once viewed as the elite corps of the papacy, have in recent decades had a sharply attenuated relationship to the hierarchical leadership of the Church. The famous "fourth vow" of allegiance to the pope is now frequently understood by Jesuits as a vow to the papacy in general-meaning the papacy as they think it ought to be."

"Nothing attracts criticism like success," says Robert Royal, author of several books and President of the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington DC. "In the seventy years since its founding, the Work has grown to almost eighty thousand members, over half in Europe, another third in the Americas, and the rest scattered throughout the world. As Vittorio Messori notes, this movement, which was once thought of as a pre-Vatican II fossil by progressives, has not only survived the heyday of progressive Catholic movements, but continues growing while the left in general, religious and lay, is shrinking."

According to Time Magazine, "church liberals, once riding high, have understood for decades that Rome does not incline their way. They feel abandoned, says Allen, 'and whenever you feel that way, there's a natural desire to find someone to blame.'"

"Why, then, has Opus Dei received such a bad press?" asks Piers Paul Read. "Its ethos is inevitably 'a sign of contradiction' in a hedonistic and self-indulgent society. The animosity from within the Church derives from the conflicting views of the role of the Church following Vatican II. At the time, the superior of the Jesuits, Pedro Arrupe, "symbolised the new post-Vatican II ethos, calling his Jesuits to be 'men for others', which in practice sometimes meant joining movements for peace and justice", while "Escrivá walked another path, insisting on the primacy of traditional forms of prayer, devotion, and the sacramental life". Making Opus Dei a "personal prelature" and Escrivá a saint "seemed like a clampdown on the Jesuits - almost as if a torch was being passed". As Allen points out, some of Opus Dei's harshest critics were once Jesuit priests."

Spiritual practices and ODAN

Another major source of opposition comes from ex-members. In 1992, a number of these organized themselves into the Opus Dei Awareness Network or ODAN.

Proselytism

According to Catholic officials, Opus Dei believes that the Christian vocation is by nature apostolic and missionary, doing everything in one's power through prayer, example and work to continue Christ's work of saving souls. According to John Allen, while there have been some mistakes committed in this area, Opus Dei does recruit like other organizations. Allegations against Opus Dei include aggressive recruitment methods, including so-called love bombing techniques; monitoring of members' recruitment efforts; formation of recruitment teams and strategies; undue pressure to join, e.g. staging 'vocational crises', threats like "saying no to a calling leads to a life of misery"; no informed consent on the part of the new recruits. The most important job for an Opus Dei member (it is alleged) is to attract other people to become members too. His social life, the circles that he frequents, the kinds of people with whom he tries to become a friend, are always geared towards proselytism for Opus Dei.

According this allegations, Opus Dei primary activity is on getting individuals to commit their lives to Opus Dei. Members' pursuit of potential members is extremely aggressive and similar to the tactics used by cultic groups. This leads to the utilization of friendship as "bait". Opus Dei members discuss "promising recruits" at their daily get-togethers (for members only) and during spiritual direction with Opus Dei priests and lay members. Opus Dei members are required to report regularly to their lay Spiritual Directors on the progress of their personal recruiting. They also start informational files about their "friends", which includes personal information about their emotional and spiritual lives. The recruits do not know they are being discussed and targeted in this way.

"Escriva's writings emphasize at least the idea of recruiting. In the internal male magazine, "Cronica", he wrote in 1971: 'This holy coercion is necessary, compelle intrare the Lord tells us.' And, 'You must kill yourselves for proselytism.'" (as stated by Martin in America.)

Former members claim that they are not told about the numeraries, secrecy, or celibacy when first learning about the group, often leaving them feeling deceived. "...in the course of recruitment into the order, young people appear to have been told not to discuss the order with their families, for fear that they would not understand, and to inform family members only after joining" (as stated in Saints & Schemers, p 16)

Basil Cardinal Hume spiritual leader of English and Welsh Catholics publicized in 1981 what he called "recommendations" to Opus Dei where he made several specific requests regarding Opus Dei in his diocese:

• youths who wanted to join Opus Dei should discuss this first with their parents or legal guardians before taking vows or obligations
• members of Opus Dei should be free to enter or leave with no "undue pressure"
• members of Opus Dei should be free to choose their spiritual guide, also from people outside of Opus Dei
• Opus Dei should declare openly which activities and initiatives it sponsors

Cardinal Hume himself, who said Escrivá "anticipated the Vatican Council's decree on the place and the role of the laity in the world," clarifies that his recommendations "must not be seen as a criticism of the integrity of the members of Opus Dei or of their zeal in promoting their apostolate," but "in the light of the cultural differences and legitimate local customs and standards of the society within which that international body seeks to work." Cardinal Hume celebrated Opus Dei's 70th anniversary at a public Mass in London in 1998. His successor in Westminster Archdiocese, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, entrusted a parish church in London to the care of Opus Dei in April 2005.

Restricting freedom and obedience

While Allen states that Opus Dei is an institution that has an extraordinary emphasis on freedom, critics note that there is lack of freedom among members, usually referring to the treament of numeraries and assistant numeraries.

• Thought reform as described by Robert Jay Lifton
• Isolating of members from society, controlling the environment of the member including daily activities and the information to which members have access. This includes selection of TV programs by superiors and a long list of forbidden books.
• Requiring numerary members to perform corporal mortification or mortification of the flesh, involving the use of the cilice for two hours a day and the discipline (a sort of whip) weekly. Neither of these practices is unique to Opus Dei amongst Catholic organisations.
• Violating human rights and human dignity

Secrecy and Suppression of criticism

At the same time that Allen and Messori say that Opus Dei cannot be called secretive because of the abundant information they provide, critics say that Opus Dei:

• Has a hidden agenda, double-speak, internal and external deception
• Threatens members when they try to leave and threatening leaving members that there will be consequences if they say anything negative about Opus Dei.

Political and church influence

See also Opus Dei and politics

In contrast to what John Allen and Messori says that Opus Dei has no line in secular politics:

• Critics allege links between the Franco regime in Spain and Opus Dei members and links with Augusto Pinochet, Chile's dictator, are also alleged.
• Opus Dei is allegedly supporting right-wing politics and especially opposing liberation theology
• Generally, Opus Dei is alleged to exist for its own purposes rather than as a servant of Christ and his Church.

Other questioned practices

According to ODAN an association of ex members, they have a collection of firsthand personal experiences:

The association says that Opus Dei tightly controls the lives of its members, especially the numerary members who pledge celibacy and typically live in Opus Dei residences. The following are some examples of the controls placed on Opus Dei numeraries, which are part of the "spirit of Opus Dei":

Some examples:

• Opus Dei numeraries are expected to hand over their entire salaries to Opus Dei, and generally may not hold their own bank accounts. The numeraries are told to use money as if they were the mother in charge of a large and poor family. They ask for the money they need each week and are then required to report how it was spent to the penny. Opus Dei does not provide any financial report that indicates how the members' money is spent.

• Both incoming and outgoing personal mail is generally read by the Directors of each Opus Dei residence, without the knowledge or consent of family and friends.

Reading material is strictly controlled, as are television viewing, listening to the radio, and other forms of recreation and entertainment.

• Opus Dei members are typically taught to always have twelve to fifteen "friends," with at least three or four who are very close to joining. This leads to the utilization of friendship as "bait." Far too often, Opus Dei members drop friendships with those who are unlikely to join Opus Dei.Selected individuals are relentlessly pursued to consider a vocation or calling to Opus Dei.

• Opus Dei numeraries notify their Directors of (and secure permission for) their comings and goings.

• Opus Dei members are enjoined to confess even their slightest doubts to Opus Dei priests and/or Spiritual Directors; otherwise, "the mute devil takes over in the soul."

• Opus Dei numeraries are required to practice corporal mortification such as the use of a cilice (a spiked chain worn around the thigh), flagellation, and sleeping on the floor or on boards.

• Opus Dei members are required to report regularly to their lay Spiritual Directors on the progress of their personal recruiting. They also fill out statistics on their "friends," which may include the following: number of apostolic visits made; Opus Dei meditations attended; Opus Dei retreats made; confessions with an Opus Dei priest, etc. How does Opus Dei use this information? Why is it necessary? The recruits do not know they are being discussed and targeted in this way, a violation of their freedom and privacy.

• Opus Dei numeraries typically may not attend events which are not conducive to proselytizing, such as athletic games, theater, concerts, movies, etc. In the rare instances when they may attend these events, permission must be secured from the Opus Dei directors.

Experiences of some ex-members

As far as the allegations of ex-members, Jack Valero, Spokesman of Opus Dei in the UK says that it hurts him that they have gone away in bad terms and they speak badly of Opus Dei, but also emphasizes the case of people who left the group, and maintain good relations with Opus Dei. Although, he clarifies that he does not put in doubt the credibility of the people who count their bad experiences.

According to critics, many people are moved to share their stories about how they have been deeply hurt by Opus Dei. Former numerary members, numerary assistants, supernumeraries, acquaintances and children of supernumeraries describe how they were abused mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually by Opus Dei. They all feel betrayed by Opus Dei, and their consciences implore them to tell their stories, say these critics.

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."

As regards former members, Cardinal Schönborn states: "It is unjustified to present personal difficulties within a community as if they were a general experience."

Reader Emeritus of Sociology of the University of Oxford, Bryan R. Wilson, a social scientist, studied the phenomenon of new religious movements and cults. He said there are some former members who show themselves "to have been first a victim" then "a redeemed crusader" and "whose personal history predisposes to bias." Wilson states: "the suspicion must arise that he acts from a personal motivation to vindicate himself and to regain his self-esteem." These, he says, tend to rehearse an atrocity story. "Neither the objective sociological researcher nor the court of law can readily regard the apostate as a creditable or reliable source of evidence," he states.

Allen states: "In a sense it's a great irony that Opus Dei has attracted a reputation for having a cultlike control of its members, because at least at the notional level, there is perhaps no other group in the Catholic Church that emphasizes freedom and liberty more than Opus Dei, along with the personal responsibility that this freedom implies... Escriva treated no single topic touching the internal life of Opus Dei more than the freedom of its members. He repeated the theme literally dozens of times throughout his writings, emphasizing it with a ferocity that one finds about few other matters."

Relationship with the secular world

Secularists says that many human activities and decisions should be free from religious interference. Religious references are considered out-of-place in current mainstream politics. Religious influence is also largely minimised in the public sphere, and religion no longer holds the same importance in people's lives as it used to. Secularist proponents argue secularism is the concept that societies should be governed by a process of reasoning rather than dogmatic belief. Some modern commentators have tried to demonize secularism by conflating it with anti-religious, atheistic, or even satanic belief systems.

In 1994, Massimo Introvigne, a conservative Catholic sociologist, said that secularists "cannot tolerate the 'return to religion'" of the secularized society, and thus have specially targeted Opus Dei which preaches about the union of professional work and religious life. Introvigne says that secularists have been stigmatizing Opus Dei, and it has been their prime target for years. They use the word "cult" to apply a black mark on a group they do not like. Opus Dei supporters object to its being called a cult or a sect from three points of view: psychological, sociological, and theological. See article Opus Dei: Responses to Cult Accusations.

It is also secularism, according to Opus Dei defenders, that is at the root of the attacks on mortification, even though this is a constant in world religions, and has a long tradition and deep theological basis in the Catholic Church. Secularism can understand sacrifice in athletics, business, and personal beautification, but without the belief in transcendent life, any sacrifice for the hereafter and for God are viewed as useless and counter-reason.

Benedict XVI on the other hand says that Christianity is the religion of the Logos (the Word: meaning and reason), and that Enlightenment ideas of tolerance, pluralism, science, freedom, economic development, democracy, fight for human rights, and equality are founded on Christian concepts such as the dignity of each man, and the harmony of faith and reason, and the capacity of man's reason to discover the truth. Benedict XVI says it is only in the Christian civilization that the enlightenment was born.

Politics, culture wars and religion

According to Vittorio Messori, a major source of hostility towards Opus Dei is the application of political categories to a religious phenomemon such as Opus Dei. These groups against Opus Dei, he says, see everything happening in the world only with the prism of power-seeking-- of political spectrums of people in the left versus people on the right. Since Opus Dei is one of the major religious groups, the application of politically motivated campaigns against it is even stronger.

There are some Catholic political leaders who see the positive influence of Opus Dei in secularized society: Lech Wałęsa of Poland, Corazon Aquino of the Philippines, Thomas Murphy of General Motors, Ruth Kelly of the United Kingdom, Raymond Barre of France. "Opus Dei," said Charles Malik, former President of the United Nations and an Eastern Orthodox Christian, "seeks to open the eyes of the whole humanity to the nature of holiness; it is precisely the spirituality needed by our times."

Opus Dei according to Allen became the lightning rod for the attacks of liberals in the culture wars. When John Paul II, perceived to be a conservative by the liberals, granted several favourable things to Opus Dei--beatification, canonization of the founder, and personal prelature status.

Analysis of secularists' work

According Introvigne, whose works appear in twelve scientific journals, the critic's texts are "of very poor scientific quality." 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 describes the analysis done by Moncada as being "of such low intellectual level that it borders on the ridiculous." Michael Walsh's work, according to Introvigne, is "so full of errors and shows such lack of precision hat it makes one doubt it has been written in good faith. Michael Walsh's background is significantly more interesting. As an ex-Jesuit, he was already hostile to Opus Dei —and, like many other critics of Opus Dei, a fanatical defender of the "theology of liberation"— even when he was a Catholic religious."

Policy on readings and books

For Opus Dei, faith, truth and salvation are foremost concerns in life. Escriva preached that faith, the belief in God and in Jesus Christ the Savior, is the most important gift from God after life itself, since faith provides the ultimate meaning of life on earth and is the basis of one's happiness. Thus, seeing himself as "shepherd" and "father" of the members of Opus Dei, he emphasized the need for each one to "safeguard" their faith. Even after the Vatican stopped publishing the "Index of Forbidden Books" due to the plethora of works being published, Opus Dei continued to use it. Opus Dei developed its own Guia Bibliografica latest edition of which appeared in 2003 (Bibliographic guide 2003).

However, critics point out that democratic laws in a secular state guarantees that all the people have the right to freely access to all type of information by any means without censorship. Censorship, they say, is a violation of the rights to information. Denying that this is "an official list of forbidden books", Opus Dei spiritual director, Fr. Derville said the Guide consists of book reviews by Opus Dei members, biographical notes on some books and positive recommendations. He says that in all practices of Opus Dei, each person is free and takes personal responsibility for his own spiritual and cultural development, while Opus Dei is, according to its official description, essentially a Catholic teaching entity, involved in training and guidance.

There is also an actual list of over 60,000 books catalogued and rated according to the following criteria:

1. Books that can be read by all, even children; for example, Heidi, Marco, some stories of the Grimm Brothers, and all books written by members of Opus Dei.

2. Reading generally recommended, although it may require a little formation. In the libraries of the centers, the public, numeraries and associate members have access to books with the 1 and 2 ratings.

3. Books that can be read by those who have formation. The books may have inconvenient scenes or commentaries. Permission is needed by their spiritual director.

4. Books that can be read by those who have formation and have a necessity to read them. Permission is needed by their spiritual director.

5. Books that are not possible to be read, except with special permission from the advisory (in New York).

6. Prohibited reading. In order to read them permission is needed by the Prelate of Opus Dei (in Rome).

Some forbidden authors

There are 6,892 books with the highest rating of "6." Examples of authors who have some books with a "6" rating are: Woody Allen, Isabel Allende, Nietzsche, Karen Armstrong, Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, Roberto Bolano, Joseph Campbell, Gustav Flaubert, Allen Ginsberg, Mary Gordon, Günter Grass, Andrew Greeley, Hermann Hesse, Adolf Hitler, John Irving, James Joyce, Carl Jung, Eugene Kennedy, Jack Kerouac, Stephen King, Milan Kundera, Hans Küng, Harold Kushner, Henri Lefebvre, Doris Lessing, Sinclair Lewis, Richard P. MacBrien, Mary MacCarthy, Malinowski, Karl Marx, Somerset Maugham, Toni Morrison, Alice Munroe, Vladimir Nabokov, V.S. Naipaul, Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, Harold Pinter, Marcel Proust, Philip Roth, Bertrand Russell, John Updike, Gore Vidal, Voltaire, Alice Walker, Gary Wills and Tennessee Williams.

Examples of authors who have some books with a 5 rating are: William S. Burroughs, John Cornwall, Sigmund Freud, Marguerite Duras, William Faulkner, Nadine Gordimer, Stephen King, Eugene Kennedy, Jack Kerouac, Barbara Kingsolver, Doris Lessing, John O'Hara, A.J. Quinnell, Ayn Rand, Salman Rushdie and Kenneth Woodward.

Views of secularists

Julian Cardinal Herranz, a member of Opus Dei in the Roman Curia, believes that "Opus Dei has become a victim of Christianophobia." Nevertheless, he went on to say, "more people today love Opus Dei than don't."

Ratzinger said that Escrivá had a Christ-centred theology. Thus, Escriva urges Christians to live like Christ in everything, even if their behaviour "clashes" with a "paganized environment". Supporters say that the cult-like behaviour described by the anti-cult groups was the behaviour of the God-man: He single-mindedly focused his entire life on saving all souls to please his Father.

Some supporters claim the attacks are simply due to anti-catholicism. Professor of History and Religious Studies, Philip Jenkins, a Protestant scholar, says that anti-catholicism is the “last acceptable prejudice,” implying that the West has now found unacceptable overt prejudice against women, Jews, African-Americans and gays.

They are “obsessed about the cilice,” says Catholic sociologist Massimo Introvigne of CESNUR, "as if it were not the free, voluntary choice of free adult persons, and as if it were imposed upon them.”

Views of critics

The late archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Josef Höffner, gave an interview to the Catholic News Service KNA in Germany in 24th August 1984, at the peak of the anti-Opus Dei campaign in Germany. He said that he asked a Roman Cardinal, in charge for many years of investigating Opus Dei, for an explanation for the huge amount of opposition faced by Opus Dei. The Roman Cardinal answered: "It's the critics's own bad conscience!"

It is this bad conscience, supporters state, that is at the root of the protests on Opus Dei's practice of guiding the reading of its members. Escriva said that it is his responsibility to ensure the fidelity of Opus Dei members to the faith. Some readings, he says, are dangerous to the faith and to morals, and he likened indiscrimate reading to taking any nice-looking pill in a drugstore.

According to Messori, man has an innate need for the sacred and a belief of demons, because God and devils truly exist. However, because of the recent trends towards desacralization and secularization, the idea of demons have been relegated to myths. Thus, people who have the need for demons tend to look for "evil groups" --demonizing these-- based on their own perception of evil. And for the secularists, they tend to see any return to religion as an evil.

Theological view

A theological explanation is given by John Carmel Heenan, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. He commented in 1975: "One of the proofs of God's favour is to be a sign of contradiction. Almost all founders of societies in the Church have suffered. Monsignor Escrivá de Balaguer is no exception. Opus Dei has been attacked and its motives misunderstood. In this country and elsewhere an inquiry has always vindicated Opus Dei."

According to Catholic tradition, a sign of contradiction points to the presence of Christ or the presence of the divine due to the union of that person or reality with God. In his book, Sign of Contradiction, John Paul II says that "sign of contradiction" might be "a distinctive definition of Christ and of his Church."

Although the prelature strives for holiness, defenders say that they are not immune from mistakes. Opus Dei spokesmen admit that there are times when members do commit mistakes and for this the prelature is sorry. John L. Allen, Jr., CNN's Vatican analyst and a Catholic American journalist, in his book, Opus Dei: an Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church(2005), quotes the present prelate, Bishop Javier Echevarria asking for forgiveness for whatever hurts the prelature might have caused anybody.

Other controversies

In April 2006, a cartoon depicting Muhammed in hell was published by an Italian magazine close to Opus Dei, bringing angry criticism from Muslim groups and disapproval from the Vatican. The editor of the Italian journal Studi Cattolici (Catholic Studies), Cesare Cavalleri, who is a member of Opus Dei offered an apology for any persons offended by the publication.

Opus Dei's Rome Communications Office published a statement.

In December 2004, BBC.mundo reported that the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei lost a legal battle during two years because it tried to force to the newspaper of the community Chilean "Opus Gay" to change his name. According to the BBC.mundo, the prelature of the Opus Dei argued that the name was a deliberate attempt to offend the institution. "Nobody, or almost nobody, one feels been thankful for being related to the . In general, it constitutes an insult or a reason for ridicule that questions or at least puts in doubt the femininity or the masculinity of a person", argued the catholic group during the litigation. But the Court of Department of Industrial Property of Chile concluded that any association with the did not imply an insult. The resolution maintains that "does not notice determining similarities that they could prevent a possible pacific coexistence of both denominations in the market".

Effects of controversy

John Paul II stated, in his decree on the heroic virtues of Opus Dei's founder, Josemaría Escrivá: "God allowed him to suffer public attacks. He responded invariably with pardon, to the point of considering his detractors as benefactors. But this Cross was such a source of blessings from heaven that the Servant of God's apostolate spread with astonishing speed."

According to ODAN, Opus Dei has changed some of its practices due to the opposition and the awareness campaigns it has launched. Some Opus Dei spokespersons have indeed acknowledged that they take notice of some of the comments in ODAN to improve things in the prelature.

The effect of The Da Vinci Code has been mixed. While it has made a number of people to think that Opus Dei has assassins and murderers among its ranks, it has also given Opus Dei an opportunity to make its message and reality better known and to portray itself as a victim. According to Austen Ivereigh, director for public affairs of England’s Archbishop of Westminster and coordinator of the Catholic Church in England and Wales’ Da Vinci Code Response Group, the response of Opus Dei to the Da Vinci Code is the answer to the Church's problems on how to respond: "The Church’s best response is to switch public sympathy to where the facts demand it be directed. It can do this only by inviting people to come in and see the truth for themselves. If it tries to play the victim’s power game—angry, defensive, proud, placard waving, violent—sympathy will switch back from the blonde to the beast. That is why Mora’s strategy is paying dividends. Before The Da Vinci Code the peak of interest in its US website was 200,000 in 2002—the year of the canonization of the founder, Josemaría Escrivá. Last year it was 2.5 million—on top of a rash of documentaries, news slots and magazine profiles. A number of Opus Dei’s newest members say they first heard of the organization through The Da Vinci Code."

References

1. Andres Vasquez de Prada: The Founder of Opus Dei. The Life of Josemaria Escrivá. Vol II: God and Daring., Scepter Publishers 1997, p. 387.
2. John L. Allen, Jr.: Opus Dei: an Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church. Doubleday, New York 2005, ISBN 0-385-51449-2
3. Telegraph (UK): You can trust them to sell you a car, October 23, 2005
4. Wilson, Bryan. (3 December 1994) Apostates and New Religious Movements, Oxford, England. See also Controversy over the validity of the testimonies of critical members of religious organizations.
5. p. 104-105.
6. "CESNUR: The Center for Studies on New Religions". Retrieved 2006-05-16.
7. Massimo Introvigne: Opus Dei and the Anti-cult Movement, Cristianità, no. 229, May 1994, pages 3-12
8. Escrivá, Josemaría: The Way, Scepter, Princeton 2001, number 380
9. Other examples are: Piers Paul Read , Messori 1997, Richard Gordon
10. Opus Dei Communications Office: On the "Studi Cattolici" cartoon, April 15, 2006
11. BBC.mundo.com: Opus Gay derrota al Opus Dei (spanish), December 31, 2004
12. Austen Ivereigh: BLESSED ARE THE SPIN DOCTORS, The Spectator (UK), May 6, 2006

Books and notes

• Massimo Introvigne. Opus Dei and the Anti-Cult movement. Cristianita. No. 229, May 1994, pp. 3-12
• Massimo Introvigne. The Labelling of Certain Catholic and "Fringe Catholic" Movements as Cults. Sectes et démocratie. Éditions du Seuil, Paris 1999, pp. 277-289
• Vittorio Messori (1997). Leadership and Vision in the Catholic Church. Regnery. -- This book has a chapter entitled the Dark Tale and another one titled One Prelature, Many Cults
• Beyond the Threshold A Life in Opus Dei by Maria del Carmen Tapia, former numerary, Chapter One
• Bibliographic Guide or Opus Dei's "Index" (spanish)
• About corporal mortification (hosted by ODAN)
• Religious Movements Homepage: Opus Dei by Corey Hanson, University of Virginia
• Government, Direction and Control in Opus Dei by Dennis Dubro, former numerary
• Making Modern-Day Martyrs using Medieval Methods by Sharon Clasen, former numerary
• Voluntaristic Obedience by Dennis Dubro
• Writings of ex members (hosted by ODAN)
• Recent Articles and Programs about Opus Dei (hosted by ODAN)
• Mond.at/Opus.Dei («The Unofficial Homepage» — by a communist) Many sources and links
• Bibliographic Guide or Opus Dei's Index (hosted by ODAN)
• Seventeen years in Opus Dei by Dennis Rubro, ex member and ex director.
• Deception and drugs in Opus Dei by former numerary Maria
• Moncada, Alberto, Catholic Sects: Opus Dei, Revista Internacional de Sociología, Madrid 1992; by a former numerary
• Roche, John, The Inner World of Opus Dei, 1982 by a former numerary
• Anonymous My Basic Human Rights Were Violated by a former assistant numerary
• Tammy di Nicola I Was Shocked by Hidden Agendas Behind Opus Dei "Service Projects, 1993, former numerary
• Gonzales, Joseph, Talking Points - Obedience in Opus Dei, 2003, former numerary
• Gonzales, Joseph The vocation trap

• Aranda, Antonio, El bullir de la sangre de Cristo, a study of Blessed Josemaria's theological teachings. 2000, professor at the Opus Dei-run Pontifical Atheneum of the Holy Cross
• Belda et al. Holiness and the World, Symposion on Opus Dei by the Opus Dei-run Pontifical Atheneum of the Holy Cross
• Benedict XVI., Letting God Work, an article by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, published 2002 in the Osservatore Romano
• Basil Hume Guidelines for Opus Dei within the Diocese of Westminster December 2, 1981
• Hans Küng, The Catholic Church : A Short History, 2002 ISBN 0-8129-6762-3 (Quote translated from German original)
• Kim Lawton, Opus Dei Cover Story of Religion and Ethics, June 29, 2001
• Martin, James, Opus Dei In the United States, 1995, America
• Schmitt, William Opus Dei response to James Martin's article in America
• Roche, John
• Schaefer, Franz, Opus Dei - Thought Reform, 1998

External links

• Opus Dei official website
• ODAN webpage (founded by the mother of a former member)
• J.J.M. Garvey: Parents Guide to Opus Dei. Sicut Dixit Press, 1989. ISBN 0-9628502-0-9 (German version online )
• Alberto Moncada: Catholic Sects: Opus Dei (English version of a paper presented at the XII World Congress of Sociology, Madrid 1990, published in "Revista Internacional de Sociología", Madrid, 1992)
• Controversy Over Opus Dei ABC News/June 18, 2001
• How Opus Dei is still synonymous with homophobia The Independent, UK/May 10, 2006
• An inside look at Opus Dei (summary by Rick A. Ross of an article in Time Magazine/April 16, 2006)
• L'Opus Dei (french) by Jacques Lemaire from the Association chrétienne internationale d'Information sur les sectes et les mouvements religieux
• Opus libros (critical site in spanish, maintained by former members)
• Opus Dei : A Dialogue between Friend and Foe (critical analysis of some typical arguments against Opus Dei, esp. the Unofficial Homepage)
• Review and in-depht critical analysis of the book by M.C. Tapia, Beyond the Threshold - A life in Opus Dei
• St.Ignatius Loyola as source of Opus Dei spirituality, esp. Ignatian obedience

• Criticisms
• Opus Dei