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Opus Dei in society

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Opus Dei in society discusses the social mission, general social strategy, its social activities and work, its relationship with politics.

Mission in society and general strategy

According to Catholic officials and scholars, Opus Dei is God's Work performing a divine operation in society which mobilises Christians to sanctify secular realities from within. Opus Dei does not act as a group, they say. It is a spiritual, catechetical agency of the Catholic Church in charge of forming people so they can act with personal responsibility "to put Christ on top of all human activitites," as their founder says.

File:IESEbusinessschoolopusdeicorporatework2.jpg
IESE Business School of the University of Navarra: A top business school, according to Financial Times and the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Escriva said that Opus Dei evangelises people of all social classes: "Out of a hundred souls, we are interested in one hundred." Opus Dei’s Statutes says that the goal of Opus Dei is to bring about that persons of all walks of life, first of all the intellectuals, practice Christianity through the sanctification of their work "so that all things will be put in order according to the Will of the Creator." (2.1 and 2.2; See Fuenmayor 1994, p. 610-611)

According to Vittorio Messori in his book Opus Dei: Leadership and Vision in Today’s Catholic Church, Opus Dei’s manner of influencing society is based on the principle that "there is no way of improving humanity other than improving human beings—one by one, and profoundly." Thus it has what it calls apostolate of friendship. Also, it follows the strategy of emphasising the evangelisation of the intelligentsia because, he says, "society arrives at the majority of its ideas and modes of behavior by way of the intellectuals." (p. 111; 177)

So that the sanctification of society can take place through sanctification of work, the Opus Dei provides "professional formation." This stresses hard work, cultural and professional development, human warmth and refinement, ethical behaviour, respect for freedom and pluralism, personal and collective humility, and personal prayer as the highest priority in one's daily schedule. The most important social strategy is for each individual to focus in becoming another Christ, the Redeemer of all human beings, and thus a virtuous and socially responsible citizen: "These world crises," Escriva says, "are crises of saints." (See Holiness and the World)

Activities and work

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

File:Alzavolaclubopusdei.jpg
Girls of Alzavola Club setting up a market stall to raise funds for an African social project

Its members also undertake many social initiatives: Opus Dei operates several hospitals, clinics, schools, and inner-city tutoring programs.

A big percentage of the undertakings of members of Opus Dei, if not the majority, are youth development centres: schools, youth clubs, study centres. There are also a good number of training centres for women.

In Spain, Saint Josemaría Escrivá himself founded the University of Navarra in 1959 which confers 27 degrees and administers more than 300 post-graduate programs and includes a teaching hospital.

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

Opus Dei Universities

Universities operated by or related to Opus Dei are

  • University of Navarra, Spain
  • IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain
  • Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy
  • Universidad Austral, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • IAE Business School, , Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Centro de Extensão Universitária, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • ISE - Instituto Superior da Empresa, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • University of the Andes, Santiago, Chile
  • Universidad de La Sabana, Chía, Colombia
  • Universidad Panamerica, Mexico,
  • Universidad Bonaterra, Aguascalientes, Mexico
  • Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa (IPADE), Mexico D.F., Mexico
  • Strathmore College, Nairobi, Kenia
  • Lexington College, Chicago, IL
  • University of Piura, Piura, Peru
  • University of Asia and the Pacific, Pasig City, Philippines

Opus Dei Publishers

While Opus Dei does not own or operates these publishers, they do print work related to Opus Dei

  • Scepter Publishers
  • Quadrante, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Sinagtala Publishers, Inc., Makati City, Philippines


Membership profile

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

In terms of educational level, income and social status, V. Messori says that there is a predominance of middle-to-low levels among the members of Opus Dei. In Spain and Latin America, for example, Opus Dei is predominantly popular among laborers and campesinos. (1997, p. 84) Gomez Perez, in Opus Dei: Una Explicación, says that Opus Dei's social composition shows a correspondence with the local situation, because, he says, all honest trades can be sanctified. He also says that there are more teachers and professors among its ranks than the normal social composition because of Opus Dei's emphasis on the intellectual apostolate.

Critics, however, accuse Opus Dei of elitism. They say that Opus Dei has amassed both power and wealth. On the other hand, John Allen in Opus Dei: Secrets and Power in the Catholic Church, says that Opus Dei's assets in the World are estimated to be at $2,800 million minimum, compared with an annual revenue for the Catholic Church in the US of $102 billion. By comparison, General Motors has assets of $455 billion. The worldwide revenue of Opus Dei is that of a mid-sized American diocese. He also says that Opus Dei has only 39 bishops out of the 4,564 in the world. And there are only 20 members out of 3920 working in the Vatican. As to real estate holdings, Opus Dei's holdings are notably inferior to those of the religious orders, says V. Messori. "Monks live in communities that require houses, while 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.

Secularity and privacy vs. secrecy

Similar to NGOs set up by private citizens of a Catholic country which are civil and non-diocesan in nature, projects of members of Opus Dei do not carry an official Catholic name nor status, according to Giuseppe Romano in Opus Dei: Who? How? Why?. This is in accord with the secular character of its members and the insistence of their founder of not using the Church's name for personal gain. A radical departure from the usual practice of Catholic organizations, this has led some to call Opus Dei a secret society. (See Sources of controversies)

CIA Seal: Critics accuse Opus Dei of secrecy and connections with the FBI and CIA. Supporters say that these accusations are baseless products of the imagination

Some critics allege that Opus Dei is a group of people which uses manipulation and secrecy to further their own personal ends. Opus Dei, according to this view, has a well-organized, authoritarian structure to achieve its conservative political agenda in the world. In 1989, Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Secret Society Struggling for Power Within the Roman Catholic Church written by Michael Walsh, a former Jesuit, brought out several conspiracy theories about Opus Dei in which it was supposed to have been involved in scandals. There have also been rumours that some senior members of the U.S. judiciary and FBI are Opus Dei members. Some people also allege a connection between Opus Dei and the CIA.

According to these critics, in Opus Dei there is a body of teachings, norms, and writings that are restricted to its members and are not public. Even between members, there are different levels of the literature that they have access to. Fr. James Martin, S.J, also says in an interview: They are fairly secretive about the way they go about recruiting, what goes on inside their houses. And they are very secretive about their finances.

According to supporters, Michael Walsh's conspiracy theories were thoroughly answered by William O'Connor's Opus Dei: An Open Book. A Reply to the Secret World of Opus Dei by Michael Walsh. Like its diocesan counterparts and other private organizations, the Opus Dei prelature "has the obligation to respect its members privacy," says Dr. Rafael Gomez Perez, author of Opus Dei: Una Explicación. (1992) He says that the prelature "has no right to communicate the fact of membership if the person in question does not permit it. To confuse this with 'secrecy' is to be unwilling to recognise the standard practice of any organisation with voluntary contracts." Also following the practice of many institutions and corporations, Opus Dei exercises prudence and confidentiality regarding key documents.

Like members of private clubs, the faithful of Opus Dei's membership is known by their relatives and close friends. Membership of public personalities can be known by the person's own public declaration. See also: List of prominent members of Opus Dei. Professional journalist John Allen says that there is a spiritual motivation behind the discretion practised by members--the avoidance of self-aggrandizement or humility. He also notes that Opus Dei's offices, their headquarters are a matter of public record—-the information office puts out information about budgets and membership, etc. Thus, he says, Opus Dei is not secretive. After investigating the accusations of communists, the Italian Parliament said in 1986 that Opus Dei is not a secret society neither in law nor in fact.


Political pluralism and Opus Dei

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

V. Messori says that Escriva set up inviolable and perpetual rules to establish the essential conditions for Opus Dei's life. Among them is this clause from the Statutes: "Each faithful of the Prelature enjoys the same liberties as other Catholic citizens in what concerns professional activity, social, political doctrines, etc. The authorities of the Prelature, however, must abstain from giving any counsel in matters of this nature. Therefore this full liberty can be diminished only by the norms that apply to all Catholics and are established by the bishop or Bishop's Conference." (88.3)

After investigating into the actual implementation of these rules and spirit, Messori concludes that (1) the members of Opus Dei receive nothing else but spiritual advice, (2) they do not operate as a herd in political affairs, but (3) consider respect for pluralism in matters not concerning the faith one way of obeying a central conviction of the founder. (See Messori 1997, p. 175)

Allegations of involvement in far-right politics

Opus Dei's political pluralism is contested by its critics. They say that there are connections between Opus Dei and right-wing organisations.

File:1francisco-franco.jpg
General Francisco Franco. Critics say Opus Dei "supported" his clerical, fascistic regime. Supporters say this is a "gross slander" since Franco's political arm persecuted the founder and pro-democracy members of Opus Dei

They present the following allegations:

  • There was mutual support between Opus Dei in Spain and Francisco Franco, the fascist dictator of Spain who was assisted by Nazi Germany into power. Escriva joined Franco’s insurgent generals at the end of the Spanish Civil War. And in 23 May 1958, he wrote a letter showing support for Franco, whose military regime brought about the death of thousands of Spaniards. Critics also refer to the many Opus Dei members who were appointed to the Spanish government during Franco’s rule which lasted from 1939-1975. These appointments were a sign of Opus Dei’s penetration into the higher echelons of the regime. Opus Dei, according to these critics, has ambitions of playing a strong political role, like the one played by the Spanish Inquisition. The Columbia Encyclopedia says that “In the 1950s and 60s it replaced the Falange as the most important conservative political and religious force in Spain. Its influence there, however, has waned since the early 1970s.” However, in the recent government of José María Aznar (1996-2004) there have been several ministers who are members of the Opus Dei, as well as the State's General Attorney (Jesús Cardenal).
  • Fr. Vladimir Felzmann, a former Opus Dei member who is presently working as a priest in a parish in England, quotes Escriva as having said: "Hitler against the Jews, Hitler against the Slavs, this means Hitler against communism." This alleged statement was cited by the international press and still did not bar Escriva's canonisation.
  • Opus Dei had relations with Augusto Pinochet, the military dictator of Chile from 1973-1990.

On the other hand, supporters reply with the following:

  • Escriva rejected the clerical, single-party mentality of many Spanish Catholics. This narrow mind-set was projected on to Opus Dei by Spanish commentators who were accustomed to a monolithic approach to politics among Catholic organisations, for they have not yet grasped the novelty of its teachings on freedom and personal responsibility. In his letter to Franco written 8 years after the Allies recognised his government, Escriva stated that “although a stranger to any political activity,” he wrote Franco to encourage the Spanish government for having decided to follow the law of God according to the Catholic faith, and thus, his supporters say, he was encouraging respect for human rights. Historians state that Franco's Falange persecuted Opus Dei members, driving to exile some members who would later lead Spain's democracy. Dr. Peter Berglar, a German historian, says that it is a "gross slander" to connect Opus Dei with Franco and fascism. V. Messori said that an Opus Dei dominated Franco regime is "a myth" given that of the 116 ministers in its history there were only 8 members of Opus Dei.
  • Felzmann's statements, supporters say, are a “patent falsehood,” contradicting his written testimony that Escriva is “a saint for today.” Many witnesses say that Escriva denounced Hitler as a tyrant and a persecutor of Jews. Contrary to the current practice in Spain, he boldly condemned Nazism as a pagan, racist and totalitarian aberration. Jewish officials also came to St. Josemaria's defense, since he often publicly said that the persons he loves most are Jews: Jesus and Mary.
  • The Pinochet-Opus Dei relationship is all made up, supporters say. Not any different from other Catholic faithful, many members are also involved in left-wing and centrist politics all over the world, making it impossible for all the members to have one political agenda.

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

Revolutionary or conservative?

The debate about Opus Dei and its role in politics continues. The two diametrically opposed positions can be seen in how they interpret point 353 of Escriva's The Way:

Nonsectarianism. Neutrality. Those old myths that always try to seem new. Have you ever bothered to think how absurd it is to leave one's Catholicism aside on entering a university, or a professional association, or a scholarly meeting, or Congress, as if you were checking your hat at the door?

Critics say that this type of counsel makes it impossible for Opus Dei members to be free in political matters. This type of teaching, they say, puts Opus Dei members squarely on the political right: a conservative influence in world affairs.

Supporters, on the other hand, say that true Christians are committed to objective truth and act in their own name in the temporal world. The Catholic Church per se is beyond the power struggle among conservatives, liberals and progressives, they say. It is engaged in a fundamental struggle: the battle between the powers of evil and the powers of the God-man, who, in union with his descendants, "never loses battles." They say that it is when Christians all over the world are faithful to the Beauty of the Truth (Veritatis Splendor), Jesus Christ, then "the greatest revolution of all time would take place," in what they see as the prophetic vision of Opus Dei's founder. .

Many writers, whether they have taken a stand that Opus Dei is God's revolutionary Work or a conservative group of power-seekers, or have decided to take another kind of stand or not to take a stand at all, have presented these varying views about Opus Dei.

References

Writings about Opus Dei

By Opus Dei members and publishers
  • 1982 Statutes of Opus Dei -- Latin and English
  • Dominique Le Tourneau (2002). What Is Opus Dei?. Gracewing. ISBN 0852441363. -- a French scholar's synthesis
  • Amadeo Fuenmayor, Valentin Gomez-Iglesias and Jose Luis Illanes (1996). The Canonical Path of Opus Dei. Four Courts Press. ISBN 1851822216. -- two canonists and a theologian study the juridical nature and history of Opus Dei
  • O'Connor, William: Opus Dei: An Open Book. A Reply to the Secret World of Opus Dei by Michael Walsh, Mercier 1991
  • William West (1987). Opus Dei. Exploding a Myth. Scepter. ISBN 0949773751. -- a 5-year research in 10 countries conducted by a senior journalist and deputy editor of the Australian
  • John Coverdale: Uncommon Faith: The Early Years of Opus Dei (1928-1943), Scepter Publications, 2002. ISBN 188933474X
  • Rafael Gomez Perez (1992). Opus Dei: Una Explicacion. Ediciones Rialp. ISBN 8432128929. -- professor of anthropology explains various aspects of Opus Dei
  • Various Authors (1971). Cristianos Corrientes: Textos sobre el Opus Dei. Rialp, Madrid.
  • François Gondrand, At God's Pace, Scepter 1989.
  • José Orlandis, Mis recuerdos: primeros tiempos del Opus Dei en Roma Rialp, 1995 ISBN 84-321-3090-7
  • Pedro Rodriguez, Fernando Ocariz and José Luis Illanes (1994). Opus Dei in the Church. Four Courts Press. ISBN 1851821708. -- an ecclesiological and theological study of Opus Dei
  • Giuseppe Romano (1995). Opus Dei: Who? How? Why?. Alba House. ISBN 0818907398. -- a study of an Italian essayist
  • Luis Ignacio Seco (1987). The Legacy of Msgr. Josemaria Escriva. Sinagtala Publishers, Manila.
  • Antonio Viana, “Law and spirit: on the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Opus Dei as a Personal Prelature,” Number 36, January-June 2003, Romana.
  • Pedro Casciaro (1998). Dream and Your Dreams will Fall Short. Princeton. ISBN 0906138442.
  • Joaquin Navarro Valls. The Human Realism of Sanctity. Information Office of Opus Dei on the Internet.
By others

Spanish

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