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<strong>Mistakes</strong> in The Vatican Boys about The Real His<strong>to</strong>ry of the<br />
Opus Dei that were copied in<strong>to</strong> The Da Vinci Code<br />
Opus Dei His<strong>to</strong>ry The Da Vinci Code The Vatican Boys<br />
Opus Dei is not a sinister<br />
worldwide Catholic financial<br />
Empire or a sect<br />
In 1982 Pope John Paul<br />
II made The Opus Dei a<br />
personal prelature of the<br />
Vatican and it was not<br />
suspicious<br />
Opus Dei is a sinister<br />
worldwide Catholic financial<br />
Empire and a sect<br />
The Vatican prelature known<br />
as Opus Dei is a deeply devout<br />
Catholic sect (Fact Page).<br />
Opus Dei’s traditionalist<br />
philosophy initially had taken<br />
root in Spain before Franco’s<br />
regime, but with the 1934<br />
publication of Josemaría<br />
Escrivá’s spiritual book The<br />
Way—999 points of meditation<br />
for doing God’s Work in<br />
one’s own life —Escrivá’s<br />
message exploded across<br />
the world. Now, with over<br />
four million copies of The<br />
Way in circulation in forty-two<br />
languages, Opus Dei was<br />
a global force. Its residence<br />
halls, teaching centers, and<br />
even universities could be<br />
found in almost every major<br />
metropolis on earth. Opus<br />
Dei was the fastest growing<br />
and most financially secure<br />
Catholic organization in<br />
the world. Unfortunately,<br />
Aringarosa had learned, in an<br />
age of religious cynicism, cults,<br />
and televangelists, Opus Dei’s<br />
escalating wealth and power<br />
was a magnet for suspicion.<br />
(Chapter 5).<br />
In 1982 the Opus Dei<br />
was suspiciously made a<br />
personal prelature of the<br />
Pope, Pope John Paul II<br />
Opus Dei is a sinister<br />
worldwide Catholic financial<br />
Empire and a sect<br />
Monsignor Escriva had<br />
founded an ultraconservative<br />
religious movement, the Opus<br />
Dei, at a small church in Spain<br />
in 1928. Since then, the sect<br />
had spread its teachings<br />
around the world. Demanding<br />
absolute loyalty <strong>to</strong> the authority<br />
of the Opus Dei and the pope,<br />
Escriva had quietly laid the<br />
groundwork not only for his<br />
own religious organization,<br />
but for an intricate worldwide<br />
financial empire exercising<br />
considerable influence on<br />
the church. Working inside<br />
the Vatican, he had bent and<br />
molded its primary offices <strong>to</strong><br />
accumulate enormous power<br />
for himself and the Opus Dei.”<br />
(Chapter 1).<br />
In 1982 the Opus Dei<br />
was suspiciously made a<br />
personal prelature of the<br />
Vatican by Pope John Paul II
Jose Escriva was not<br />
speeded <strong>to</strong> sainthood by<br />
Pope John Paul II<br />
The Vatican was not in<br />
financial trouble in 1982 and<br />
bailed out of bankruptcy by<br />
the Opus Dei with billions<br />
of dollars in exchange for<br />
favorable treatments<br />
“Catholic officials say that<br />
Church authorities have<br />
even greater control of Opus<br />
Dei now that its head is a<br />
prelate appointed by the<br />
Pope and its status as a<br />
prelature precisely means<br />
dependence. Escriva’s<br />
relatively quick canonization<br />
does not have anything<br />
<strong>to</strong> do with power but with<br />
improvements in procedures<br />
and John Paul II’s decision<br />
<strong>to</strong> make Escriva’s sanctity<br />
and message known”<br />
The leader of the Opus Dei<br />
is not officially called the<br />
“head of the Opus Dei.” He<br />
is called “the Prelate of the<br />
Opus Dei”<br />
Jose Escriva was fasttracked<br />
<strong>to</strong> sainthood by<br />
Pope John Paul II, a mere…<br />
The Vatican was in financial<br />
trouble in 1982 and bailed<br />
out of bankruptcy by the<br />
Opus Dei with a billion<br />
dollars in exchange for<br />
favorable treatments<br />
Their ascension <strong>to</strong> grace<br />
was jump-started in 1982<br />
when Pope John Paul II<br />
unexpectedly elevated them<br />
<strong>to</strong> a “personal prelature of the<br />
Pope,” officially sanctioning all<br />
of their practices.<br />
In a second maneuver that<br />
raised eyebrows, the Pope<br />
placed the founder of Opus<br />
Dei on the “fast track” for<br />
sainthood, accelerating an<br />
often century-long waiting<br />
period for canonization <strong>to</strong> a<br />
mere twenty years.<br />
Suspiciously, Opus Dei’s<br />
elevation occurred the same<br />
year the wealthy sect allegedly<br />
had transferred almost<br />
one billion dollars in<strong>to</strong><br />
the Vatican’s Institute for<br />
Religious Works—<strong>common</strong>ly<br />
known as the Vatican<br />
Bank—bailing it out of an<br />
embarrassing bankruptcy.<br />
(Chapter 7).<br />
Jose Escriva was speedily<br />
elevated <strong>to</strong> sainthood by<br />
Pope John Paul II, a mere …<br />
The Vatican was in financial<br />
trouble in 1982 and bailed<br />
out of bankruptcy by the<br />
Opus Dei with billions of<br />
dollars in exchange for<br />
favorable treatments<br />
John Paul II, resplendent in<br />
white and gold vestments,<br />
was sweating profusely as<br />
he s<strong>to</strong>od before the hastily<br />
reconstructed altar in St.<br />
Peter’s Square. Nevertheless,<br />
he ignored the sweltering heat<br />
and dutifully conferred the rites<br />
of beatification on Josemaria<br />
Escriva de Balaguer.<br />
It was perhaps because of this<br />
influence that the beatification<br />
was taking place a mere<br />
seventeen years after his<br />
death. More than a few church<br />
members had protested<br />
Escriva’s candidacy, pointing<br />
out that he had not been<br />
adequately investigated by<br />
the Devil’s Advocates, church<br />
elders appointed <strong>to</strong> prove or<br />
disprove a life of heroic virtue<br />
of any candidate chosen for<br />
sainthood.<br />
Studying Escriva’s writings and<br />
practices and investigating the<br />
claims of miracles performed<br />
by him should have taken<br />
decades, even centuries.<br />
(Chapter 1).<br />
In 1982, with the approval<br />
and help of Pope John Paul<br />
II, Opus Dei was made a<br />
personal prelature under<br />
the new legal framework<br />
introduced during the Second<br />
Vatican Council in the 1960s.<br />
With Rome’s consent,
From 1994 until 2016, “the<br />
Prelate of the Opus Dei was<br />
a Spanish Bishop, from<br />
Spain<br />
In The Da Vinci Code the<br />
“head of the Opus Dei” is an<br />
American Bishop<br />
“I apologize if I have awoken<br />
you, Sister,” the abbé said, his<br />
own voice sounding groggy<br />
and on edge. “I have a favor<br />
<strong>to</strong> ask of you. I just received<br />
a call from an influential<br />
American bishop.<br />
Perhaps you know him?<br />
Manuel Aringarosa?”<br />
“The head of Opus Dei?”<br />
Of course I know of him. Who<br />
in the Church doesn’t? (The<br />
nun answered).<br />
Aringarosa’s conservative<br />
prelature had grown<br />
powerful in recent years.<br />
Aringarosa shot <strong>to</strong> his feet. Ask<br />
His Holiness if Opus Dei was<br />
an embarrassment in 1982<br />
when we helped the Vatican<br />
Bank!<br />
The Vatican will always be<br />
grateful for that, the secretariat<br />
said, his <strong>to</strong>ne appeasing,<br />
and yet there are those who<br />
still believe your financial<br />
munificence in 1982 is<br />
the only reason you were<br />
granted prelature status in<br />
the first place. (Chapter 100).<br />
members of the sect owe<br />
strict obedience <strong>to</strong> Opus Dei<br />
superiors, both at the Vatican<br />
and elsewhere. (Chapter 9).<br />
In The Vatican Boys the<br />
“head of the Opus Dei” is an<br />
American Archbishop<br />
“Do you know who Archbishop<br />
Peter Zagranski is, Julien?”<br />
Catherine asked. She glanced<br />
sideways at Stephen, looking<br />
for another wisecrack <strong>to</strong> be<br />
made. None came.<br />
“Yes, the first secretary <strong>to</strong><br />
Pope John Paul II.” (The nun<br />
answered).<br />
“That’s correct, and he<br />
was a very close friend of<br />
Monsignor Escriva. Escriva,<br />
in fact, was his benefac<strong>to</strong>r<br />
and Zagranski has succeeded<br />
him as the head of the Opus<br />
Dei organization. He’s been<br />
in charge of it for the last 15<br />
years. He’s also been the<br />
direc<strong>to</strong>r of the IOR for the last<br />
13 years.”<br />
It was in serious financial<br />
trouble. Pope John Paul<br />
even acknowledged it publicly.<br />
Without the financial support<br />
of the Opus Dei, the Catholic<br />
Church would have been<br />
broke.<br />
This illegal business was<br />
approved by Archbishop<br />
Zagranski himself. The monies<br />
all of the bankers loaned <strong>to</strong><br />
the IOR, in other words the<br />
Vatican, were quite substantial.<br />
If you add up the <strong>to</strong>tals, the<br />
sums are billions of dollars.”<br />
(Chapter 18).<br />
Opus Dei members are not<br />
violent, they are moral and<br />
virtuous people<br />
The Opus Dei relic seeker<br />
Silas is violent<br />
The Opus Dei Jeremy relic<br />
seeker is violent
The cilice is not an Opus Dei<br />
<strong>to</strong>rture device used <strong>to</strong> cut<br />
the flesh and cause bleeding<br />
and pain<br />
“Opus Dei is a Catholic<br />
institution and adheres <strong>to</strong><br />
Catholic doctrine, which<br />
clearly condemns immoral<br />
behavior, including murder,<br />
lying, stealing, and generally<br />
injuring people. The Catholic<br />
Church teaches that one<br />
should never do evil, even<br />
for a good purpose.”<br />
The cilice is an Opus Dei<br />
<strong>to</strong>rture device. It is used <strong>to</strong><br />
cut the flesh and causes<br />
bleeding and pain<br />
One mile away, the hulking<br />
albino named Silas limped<br />
through the front gate of<br />
the luxurious browns<strong>to</strong>ne<br />
residence on Rue La Bruyère.<br />
The spiked cilice belt that he<br />
wore around his thigh cut<br />
in<strong>to</strong> his flesh, and yet his<br />
soul sang with satisfaction of<br />
service <strong>to</strong> the Lord.<br />
Even so, Silas knew,<br />
absolution required sacrifice.<br />
Pulling his shades, he stripped<br />
naked and knelt in the center<br />
of his room.<br />
Looking down, he examined<br />
the spiked cilice belt cl<strong>amp</strong>ed<br />
around his thigh. All true<br />
followers of The Way wore<br />
this device—a leather strap,<br />
studded with sharp metal<br />
barbs that cut in<strong>to</strong> the flesh<br />
as a perpetual reminder of<br />
Christ’s suffering. The pain<br />
caused by the device also<br />
helped counteract the desires<br />
of the flesh.<br />
Silas relayed the earlier events<br />
of the evening... how all four of<br />
his victims, moments before<br />
death, had desperately tried<br />
<strong>to</strong> buy back their godless lives<br />
by telling their secret. I must<br />
purge my soul of <strong>to</strong>day’s sins.<br />
The sins committed <strong>to</strong>day<br />
had been holy in purpose.<br />
Even so, Silas knew,<br />
absolution required sacrifice.<br />
Pulling his shades, he stripped<br />
naked and knelt in the center<br />
of his room. Looking down, he<br />
examined the spiked cilice belt<br />
cl<strong>amp</strong>ed around his thigh. All<br />
true followers of The Way wore<br />
this device—a leather strap,<br />
The cilice is an Opus Dei<br />
<strong>to</strong>rture device. It is used <strong>to</strong><br />
cut the flesh and causes<br />
bleeding and pain<br />
Jeremy was a mercenary.<br />
He had been trained for the<br />
work by his father, a former<br />
military man skilled in special<br />
operations. Now his services<br />
were available <strong>to</strong> anyone with<br />
enough money <strong>to</strong> employ him.<br />
The officials of the Opus Dei<br />
knew him <strong>to</strong> be well versed<br />
in covert operations and had<br />
chosen him <strong>to</strong> head up their<br />
new secret military order.<br />
(Chapter 1).<br />
The priest’s fingers turned a<br />
metal screw that tightened a<br />
blade studded garter belt, the<br />
celice, around her thigh. Her<br />
body shook violently as it was<br />
tensioned. (Chapter 14).<br />
Jeremy shoved Stephen<br />
forcefully in<strong>to</strong> the hall. Then,<br />
with a movement of his right<br />
arm, he flicked Catherine out<br />
of his way, and made straight<br />
for the man from Galilee. He<br />
gripped him by the throat with<br />
one hand and put a gun <strong>to</strong><br />
his face with the other. He<br />
cocked the hammer and at the<br />
same time ordered Catherine<br />
<strong>to</strong> close and latch the door<br />
behind him.<br />
Remember me, you holy<br />
prick? The vulgar words were<br />
whispered softly in<strong>to</strong> the<br />
priest’s ears, along with the<br />
disgusting smell of sputum.<br />
You’re pushing your luck,<br />
Rovarik. Tell me what I want<br />
<strong>to</strong> know or you’re going <strong>to</strong>
studded with sharp metal<br />
barbs that cut in<strong>to</strong> the flesh<br />
as a perpetual reminder of<br />
Christ’s suffering. (Chapter 2).<br />
Silas clutched his pis<strong>to</strong>l and<br />
gazed through the glass doors.<br />
If they did not reveal where<br />
they had placed the keys<strong>to</strong>ne,<br />
Silas would have <strong>to</strong> enter and<br />
persuade them with force.<br />
(Chapter 62).<br />
see just how real violence<br />
can be. The desperate look on<br />
Jeremy’s face <strong>to</strong>ld the priest<br />
that it was time <strong>to</strong> get <strong>to</strong> the<br />
point. (Chapter 26).<br />
Your violence is not reality,<br />
Jeremy. It is a mask. An<br />
illusion. The devil’s hand<br />
at play disguising the truth.<br />
(Chapter 26).
Opus Dei - April 18, 2006: ‘Da Vinci Code’ Is ‘Very Dis<strong>to</strong>rted’.<br />
In Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” Opus Dei is painted as<br />
a secretive, power-hungry and extreme sect of the Catholic<br />
Church.<br />
A Vatican Conspiracy - In both The Vatican Boys and in The<br />
Da Vinci Code there is an American Archbishop or Bishop<br />
who is the head of the Opus Dei and he has a violent Opus Dei<br />
assassin working with him. Together, acting alone, their goal<br />
is <strong>to</strong> find a missing relic that is linked <strong>to</strong> Jesus Christ. Their<br />
motivation is <strong>to</strong> make the renegade Bishop and his Vatican<br />
Bank (IOR) connected Opus Dei organization powerful in the<br />
Catholic Church and Pope John Paul II is involved...<br />
The fictional use of a dis<strong>to</strong>rted, secretive, power- hungry<br />
Opus Dei, with these two explicit Opus Dei characters and<br />
the Vatican Bank having illegal Opus Dei connections in the<br />
s<strong>to</strong>ry was originated in The Vatican Boys in 1997 and copied<br />
in<strong>to</strong> The Da Vinci Code in 2003<br />
FACT:<br />
The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout<br />
Catholic sect that has been the <strong>to</strong>pic of recent controversy<br />
due <strong>to</strong> reports of brainwashing, coercion, and a dangerous<br />
practice known as “corporal mortification.” Opus Dei has just<br />
completed construction of a $47 million World Headquarters<br />
at 243 Lexing<strong>to</strong>n Avenue in New York City.<br />
All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and<br />
secret rituals in this novel are accurate.<br />
Dan Brown<br />
The Da Vinci Code
Opus Dei News Releases - Documentations<br />
A-The Da Vinci Code, the Catholic Church and Opus Dei<br />
PRELATURE OF OPUS DEI IN THE UNITED STATES<br />
Many readers are intrigued by the claims about Christian his<strong>to</strong>ry and theology presented in The Da Vinci Code. We<br />
would like <strong>to</strong> remind them that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, and it is not a reliable source of information on<br />
these matters.<br />
The book has raised public interest in the origins of the Bible and of central Christian doctrines such as the divinity of<br />
Jesus Christ. These <strong>to</strong>pics are important and valuable <strong>to</strong> study, and we hope that interested readers will be motivated<br />
<strong>to</strong> study some of the abundant scholarship on them that is available in the non-fiction section of the library.<br />
Readers who do further research and exercise critical judgment will discover that assertions made in The Da Vinci<br />
Code about Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, and Church his<strong>to</strong>ry lack support among reputable scholars. By way of<br />
ex<strong>amp</strong>le, the book popularizes the idea that the fourth century Roman emperor Constantine invented the doctrine of<br />
the divinity of Christ for political reasons. The his<strong>to</strong>rical evidence, however, clearly shows that the New Testament and<br />
the very earliest Christian writings manifest Christian belief in the divinity of Christ. Other ex<strong>amp</strong>les of discredited<br />
claims presented in The Da Vinci Code can be found in this article from Crisis magazine (link) or this FAQ from<br />
Catholic Answers (link). For readers who are willing <strong>to</strong> take the time <strong>to</strong> get <strong>to</strong> the bot<strong>to</strong>m of the issues raised in The<br />
Da Vinci Code, we recommend reading Amy Welborn’s book, De-Coding Da Vinci, or The Da Vinci Hoax by Carl Olson<br />
and Sandra Miesel (see links at right).<br />
We also want <strong>to</strong> point out that The Da Vinci Codes depiction of Opus Dei is inaccurate, both in the overall impression<br />
and in many details, and it would be irresponsible <strong>to</strong> form any opinion of Opus Dei based on reading The Da Vinci<br />
Code. For those interested in further information about the various false impressions the book gives of Opus Dei,<br />
please continue reading.<br />
1. Opus Dei and monks<br />
Throughout The Da Vinci Code, Opus Dei members are presented as monks (or, rather, caricatures of monks). Like all<br />
Catholics, Opus Dei members have great appreciation for monks, but in fact there are no monks in Opus Dei. Opus Dei is a<br />
Catholic institution for lay people and diocesan priests, not a monastic order.<br />
Opus Dei’s approach <strong>to</strong> living the faith does not involve withdrawing from the world like those called <strong>to</strong> the monastic life.<br />
Rather, Opus Dei helps people grow closer <strong>to</strong> God in and through their ordinary secular activities.<br />
Numerary members of Opus Dei — a minority — choose a vocation of celibacy in order <strong>to</strong> be available <strong>to</strong> organize the activities<br />
of Opus Dei. They do not, however, take vows, wear robes, sleep on straw mats, spend all their time in prayer and<br />
corporal mortification, or in any other way live like The Da Vinci Codes depiction of its monk character. In contrast <strong>to</strong><br />
those called <strong>to</strong> the monastic life, numeraries have regular secular professional work.<br />
In fact, The Da Vinci Code gets Opus Dei’s nature 180 degrees backwards. Monastic orders are for people who have a<br />
vocation <strong>to</strong> seek holiness by withdrawing from the secular world; Opus Dei is for people who have a vocation <strong>to</strong> live<br />
their Christian faith in the middle of secular society.<br />
Additional explanation from leading Catholic figures of Opus Dei’s focus on secular life.<br />
2. Opus Dei and crime<br />
In The Da Vinci Code, Opus Dei members are falsely depicted murdering, lying, drugging people, and otherwise<br />
acting unethically, thinking that it is justified for the sake of God, the Church, or Opus Dei (p. 13, 29, 58-9, etc.).<br />
Opus Dei is a Catholic institution and adheres <strong>to</strong> Catholic doctrine, which clearly condemns immoral behavior,<br />
including murder, lying, stealing, and generally injuring people. The Catholic Church teaches that one should never<br />
do evil, even for a good purpose.<br />
Opus Dei’s mission is <strong>to</strong> help people integrate their faith and the activities of their daily life, and so its spiritual education and<br />
counselling help members <strong>to</strong> be more ethical rather than less so. Opus Dei members, like everyone else, sometimes do things
wrong, but this is an aberration from what Opus Dei is promoting rather than a manifestation of it.<br />
Besides attributing criminal activity <strong>to</strong> Opus Dei, The Da Vinci Code also falsely depicts Opus Dei as being focused<br />
on gaining wealth and power. Additional comment from leading Catholic sources on Opus Dei’s alleged wealth and<br />
power. 3. Opus Dei and corporal mortification<br />
The Da Vinci Code makes it appear that Opus Dei members practice bloody mortifications (e.g., pp. 12, 14, 29, 31, 73,<br />
89, 127-28, 195, 276-79, 293). In fact, though his<strong>to</strong>ry indicates that some Catholic saints have done so, Opus Dei members<br />
do not do this.<br />
The Catholic Church advises people <strong>to</strong> practice mortification. The mystery of Jesus Christ’s Passion shows that voluntary<br />
sacrifice has a transcendent value and can bring spiritual benefits <strong>to</strong> others. Voluntary sacrifice also brings personal spiritual<br />
benefits, enabling one <strong>to</strong> resist the inclination <strong>to</strong> sin. For these reasons, the Church prescribes fasting on certain days and<br />
recommends that the faithful practice other sorts of mortification as well. Mortification is by no means the centrepiece of the<br />
Christian life, but nobody can grow closer <strong>to</strong> God without it: There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle<br />
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2015).<br />
In the area of mortification, Opus Dei emphasizes small sacrifices rather than extraordinary ones, in keeping with its spirit of<br />
integrating faith with secular life. For ex<strong>amp</strong>le, Opus Dei members try <strong>to</strong> make small sacrifices such as persevering at their<br />
work when tired, occasionally passing up some small pleasure, or giving help <strong>to</strong> those in need.<br />
Some Opus Dei members also make limited use of the cilice and discipline, types of mortification that have always<br />
had a place in the Catholic tradition because of their symbolic reference <strong>to</strong> Christ’s Passion. The Church teaches that<br />
people should take reasonable care of their physical health, and anyone with experience in this matter knows that<br />
these practices do not injure ones health in any way. The Da Vinci Codes description of the cilice and discipline<br />
is greatly exaggerated: it is simply not possible <strong>to</strong> injure oneself with them as it depicts.<br />
Additional explanation from leading Catholic sources regarding Opus Dei and corporal mortification.<br />
4. Opus Dei and cult allegations<br />
Saint Josemaría Escrivá<br />
(1902-1975)<br />
___________________<br />
In various places, The Da Vinci Code describes Opus Dei as a sect or a cult (e.g., pp. 1, 29, 30, 40, and 279). The fact is<br />
that Opus Dei is a fully integrated part of the Catholic Church and has no doctrines or practices except those of the Church.<br />
There is no definition or theory — whether academic or popular — that provides a basis for applying the pejorative terms sect<br />
or cult <strong>to</strong> Opus Dei.<br />
Opus Dei is a Catholic institution that seeks <strong>to</strong> help people integrate their faith and the activities of their daily life. As a personal<br />
prelature (an organizational structure of the Catholic Church), it complements the work of local Catholic parishes by<br />
providing people with additional spiritual education and guidance.<br />
Opus Dei was founded in Spain in 1928 by a Catholic priest, St. Josemaría Escrivá, and began <strong>to</strong> grow with the support of the<br />
local bishops there. It received final approval from the Vatican in 1950 and began growing in many countries around the world.<br />
Today Opus Dei has roughly 83,000 lay members (3,000 in the United States) and 2,000 priests. Several million people around<br />
the world participate in its programs and activities, which are conducted in more than 60 countries.<br />
The Da Vinci Code also makes melodramatic assertions that Opus Dei engages in brainwashing, coercion, and aggressive<br />
recruiting (pp. 1, 29, 325, 415), unfairly trying <strong>to</strong> tar Opus Dei with the same brush used against groups more deserving of<br />
such epithets.
Opus Dei proposes <strong>to</strong> people <strong>to</strong> give their lives <strong>to</strong> God, following a special path of service within the Catholic Church. Ones<br />
life can only be given freely, through a decision coming from the heart, not from external pressure: pressure is both wrong and<br />
ineffective. Opus Dei always respects the freedom of conscience of its members, prospective members, and everyone else it<br />
deals with.<br />
As a manifestation of its beliefs about the importance of freedom, Opus Dei has specific safeguards <strong>to</strong> ensure that decisions<br />
<strong>to</strong> join are free and fully informed. For ex<strong>amp</strong>le, nobody can make a permanent membership commitment in Opus Dei<br />
without first having completed more than 6 years of systematic and comprehensive instruction as <strong>to</strong> what membership entails.<br />
Additionally, no one can make a temporary commitment before age 18, nor a commitment <strong>to</strong> permanent membership before<br />
age 23. Additional explanation from leading Catholic figures on Opus Dei and cult allegations.<br />
5. Opus Dei and women<br />
The Da Vinci Code says about Opus Dei’s U.S. headquarters: Men enter the building through the main doors on Lexing<strong>to</strong>n<br />
Avenue. Women enter through a side street (p. 28). This is inaccurate. People, whether male or female, use the doors leading<br />
<strong>to</strong> whichever section of the building they are visiting. The building is divided in<strong>to</strong> separate sections, for the straightforward<br />
reason that one section includes a residence for celibate women and another for celibate men. But these sections are not sexrestricted,<br />
and it is the womens not the mens section that fronts on Lexing<strong>to</strong>n Avenue, the opposite of what is said in the book.<br />
(Note: The book sometimes also inaccurately calls the building Opus Dei’s world headquarters).<br />
The Da Vinci Code also suggests that women Opus Dei members are forced <strong>to</strong> clean the men’s residence halls for no<br />
pay and are otherwise accorded lower status than men (pp. 41, 415-16).<br />
This is not true. Opus Dei, like the Church in general, teaches that women and men are of equal dignity and value, and all of<br />
its practices are in accord with that belief. Women members of Opus Dei can be found in all sorts of professions, those which<br />
society views as prestigious and those which society <strong>to</strong>day tends <strong>to</strong> undervalue, such as homemaking or domestic work. Opus<br />
Dei teaches that any kind of honest work done with love of God is of equal value.<br />
Some women numerary members of Opus Dei have freely chosen <strong>to</strong> make a profession of taking care of Opus Dei’s centers,<br />
both womens and mens. They also run conference centers where activities of cultural and spiritual formation are held. These<br />
women are professionally trained and are paid for their services, which include interior decorating, catering and other highly<br />
skilled work. The millions of people who attend retreats or other spiritual formation activities at Opus Dei centers can attest <strong>to</strong><br />
their professionalism. The Da Vinci Codes insinuation that their work lacks dignity and value is demeaning <strong>to</strong> these women.<br />
Additional explanation from leading Catholic figures on Opus Dei and women.<br />
6. Opus Dei and the Vatican Bank<br />
The Da Vinci Code says that Opus Dei was made a personal prelature as a reward for bailing out the Vatican bank (pp.<br />
40-41, 415-416).<br />
Neither Opus Dei nor any of its members helped bail out the Vatican bank. The Church’s authorities made Opus Dei<br />
a personal prelature in 1982 because they recognized that this new canonical category was a good fit for Opus Dei’s<br />
mission and structure.<br />
In any event, the personal prelature status is nothing special: it is simply one of several canonical categories the<br />
Church has for designating an institution that carries out special pas<strong>to</strong>ral activities. In contrast <strong>to</strong> the implication<br />
given by the book, personal prelature status in no way implies some special favor of the Pope or that Opus Dei<br />
members are not under the authority of their local bishops.<br />
7. The canonization of Opus Dei’s founder<br />
The Da Vinci Code suggests that the Church bent its canonization rules <strong>to</strong> put Opus Dei’s founder on the fast track<br />
<strong>to</strong> being named a saint (pp. 40-41).<br />
The canonization of St. Josemaría Escrivá in 2002 came 27 years after his death (not 20, as the book says). It was one<br />
of the first <strong>to</strong> be processed after the 1983 Code of Canon Law streamlined the procedures for canonization, and so it<br />
moved more quickly than was typical before. Mother Teresa is on pace <strong>to</strong> be canonized even more quickly, having been<br />
beatified just 6 years after her death (Escrivá was beatified in 17 years). Even under the old procedures, the canonization of<br />
St. Therése of Lisieux made it through the process in 27 years, roughly the same as Escrivás.<br />
Opus Dei Prelature in the U.S. “The Da Vinci Code, the Catholic Church and Opus Dei.” Prelature of Opus Dei in the<br />
United States.<br />
This article reprinted with permission from Brian Finnerty, U.S. Communications Direc<strong>to</strong>r, Prelature of Opus Dei.<br />
The Author<br />
Copyright © 2005 Opus Dei
Opus Dei: Fact and Fiction<br />
An article published in the March 2004 edition of “Catalyst,” the Journal of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.<br />
The Dan Brown book, The Da Vinci Code, is a best-selling work of fiction that discusses a real-life Catholic organization, Opus<br />
Dei.<br />
To help separate fact from fiction, we asked officials at Opus Dei <strong>to</strong> write a short article on this subject. Herewith is<br />
their reply.<br />
Founded in 1928 by St. Josemaría Escrivá, Opus Dei (Latin for “work of God”) has a mission of spreading Christ’s teaching on<br />
the universal call <strong>to</strong> holiness. A personal prelature, it works in dioceses around the world, with the approval of local bishops.<br />
Opus Dei has been the subject of several myths, made popular recently by The Da Vinci Code.<br />
Myth: Opus Dei has a political agenda.<br />
Fact: The only thing Opus Dei has <strong>to</strong> say about politics is what the Church says, and many of the Church’s social teachings<br />
leave room for different opinions on concrete political questions. In these opinionable matters, Opus Dei members make their<br />
own decisions just like other faithful Catholics. But you won’t understand Opus Dei until you realize that politics – whether civil<br />
or ecclesial – just isn’t its institutional focus. Opus Dei’s focus is on providing spiritual guidance <strong>to</strong> help people deepen their<br />
faith and integrate it with their daily life.<br />
Myth: Opus Dei is a secret society.<br />
Fact: The Opus Dei Prelature publishes the names of all its priests and all its international and regional direc<strong>to</strong>rs. Like dioceses<br />
and parishes, it does not publish lay members’ names. Neither do health clubs for that matter, and people surely deserve as<br />
much privacy in their spiritual affairs as they do in medical matters. Members, however, are more than happy <strong>to</strong> tell you of their<br />
membership and what Opus Dei is all about.<br />
While we’re at it, we can confirm that the Pope’s spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, is a member, but we would like <strong>to</strong> dispel<br />
once and for all the rumors that Louis Freeh, An<strong>to</strong>nin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Mel Gibson are members.<br />
Myth: Opus Dei brainwashes, coerces, or pressures members and potential members.<br />
Fact: Opus Dei has complete respect for people’s freedom. It’s ludicrous <strong>to</strong> think that the Pope and bishops worldwide would<br />
support an institution that didn’t. In this era of relativism, there are plenty of people who will call teaching the faith, giving<br />
spiritual guidance, and being a Christian witness “brainwashing,” “coercion,” and “recruiting” or “proselytism.” Nowadays<br />
consenting adults are free of criticism for doing almost anything – anything apparently except trying <strong>to</strong> help people grow in their<br />
faith and practice it in their daily life.<br />
Myth: Opus Dei makes its members practice dangerous corporal mortifications.<br />
Fact: Each Lent, the Church reminds people that sacrifice is part of the spiritual life. To help its members follow this teaching,<br />
Opus Dei encourages them <strong>to</strong> make small sacrifices, such as persevering in their work or listening <strong>to</strong> those in need. The<br />
Catholic tradition also includes other penances, such as fasting and the use of a cilice or discipline, as means for deepening<br />
one’s union with Christ. Many saints, including Opus Dei’s founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá, have practiced such penances<br />
in a heroic way. Some celibate members of Opus Dei and of other Church institutions freely follow some of these cus<strong>to</strong>ms,<br />
though in a mitigated way. They do so subject <strong>to</strong> the advice of their spiritual direc<strong>to</strong>r and in a way that is never harmful <strong>to</strong><br />
their health, completely unlike The Da Vinci Code’s dis<strong>to</strong>rted representation. These kinds of sacrifices are certainly not<br />
a focus in Opus Dei, which emphasizes integrating faith with the activities of everyday life.<br />
Myth: Opus Dei’s status as a “personal prelature” cuts it loose from oversight by the bishops.<br />
Fact: Like a diocese, a personal prelature is overseen by the Holy See. Additionally, Opus Dei receives permission<br />
from local bishops before starting apos<strong>to</strong>lic work in their dioceses and keeps diocesan bishops informed about its activities.<br />
The guidance it offers its members pertains only <strong>to</strong> matters connected with its mission, which is educating people about the<br />
universal call <strong>to</strong> holiness and helping them fulfill this call in their daily life. The members of the prelature remain members<br />
of their diocese and are subject <strong>to</strong> their local bishop just like other Catholics.<br />
Myth: With all the criticism, Opus Dei must be doing something wrong.<br />
Fact: Every successful organization has its critics, from Coca-Cola <strong>to</strong> the Catholic Church itself. As for Opus Dei’s critics,<br />
anyone who does not believe in Christ, the Church’s teachings, or loyalty <strong>to</strong> the Pope could easily have “issues” with Opus<br />
Dei, since it accepts all these things. It’s also <strong>common</strong> that an organization’s critics have personal reasons for misinterpreting<br />
things – even with good intentions. What’s more relevant than the criticism is the fact that millions of people around the world<br />
know and love Opus Dei, including the Pope and a great number of bishops. This is because Opus Dei gives so much help <strong>to</strong><br />
ordinary people who want <strong>to</strong> connect their faith with daily life.<br />
Catholic League<br />
Opus Dei Website - how long have personal prelatures existed in the Church? - Although similar personal hierarchical<br />
structures already existed (such as military vicariates), the juridical figure of the personal prelature is the result of<br />
an apos<strong>to</strong>lic desire of the Second Vatican Council that later <strong>to</strong>ok form in the present Code of Canon Law. The first <strong>to</strong><br />
be erected was the prelature of Opus Dei, in the Apos<strong>to</strong>lic Constitution Ut sit of John Paul II, on November 28, 1982.
What you need <strong>to</strong> know as Opus Dei chooses a new leader<br />
• Inés San Martín<br />
Jan 20, 2017<br />
VATICAN CORRESPONDENT<br />
Pope Francis greets Bishop Javier Echevarria Rodriguez, head of the personal prelature of Opus Dei, during an audience <strong>to</strong><br />
exchange Christmas greetings with members of the Roman Curia in Clementine Hall at the Vatican Dec. 22, 2014. (Credit:<br />
CNS pho<strong>to</strong>/Paul Haring.)<br />
ROME- After the December death of Bishop Javier Echevarría, the Catholic organization Opus Dei <strong>to</strong>day begins the process<br />
of choosing a new leader, who for the first time will be a someone who wasn’t a right-hand man of their founder, Spanish St.<br />
Josemaría Escrivá.<br />
There are 94 possible candidates, all priests, coming from 45 countries. Under the rules, all are over the age of 40, all are<br />
members of the group for at least 10 years and priests for at least the last five.<br />
For the record, none are self-flagellating assassin monks as depicted in Dan Brown’s potboiler novel The Da Vinci<br />
Code. As a matter of fact, there are no monks in Opus Dei at all … and, needless <strong>to</strong> say, no assassins.<br />
Here’s what you need <strong>to</strong> know about “The Work,” as Opus Dei is referred <strong>to</strong> by members, and their process <strong>to</strong> elect a new<br />
prelate, as the leader is called.<br />
A brief his<strong>to</strong>ry of Opus Dei<br />
Founded in Madrid, Spain, in Oc<strong>to</strong>ber 1928 by Escrivá, Opus Dei was established as a personal prelature by Pope<br />
John Paul II in 1983, eight years after the death of their founder, in 1975.<br />
Put in very simple terms (and bound, in its simplicity, <strong>to</strong> make some canon lawyers pull out their hair), a personal prelature is<br />
an entity that incorporates both clergy and laity around a specific spirituality rather than the geographic boundaries<br />
of a diocese.<br />
So far, Opus Dei is the only personal prelature recognized by the Catholic Church.<br />
It’s because of this canonical status that the leader of the Work is known as a “prelate” and why its 92,600 members<br />
<strong>to</strong>day, most of whom are lay, and 57 percent of whom are women, tend <strong>to</strong> get irritated whenever it’s called a “movement” (or,<br />
for that matter, anything other than the technical term “prelature”).<br />
Escrivá was succeeded by his closest aide, Álvaro del Portillo,who in turn was succeeded by Echevarría, his former<br />
secretary. Portillo died in 1994, while Echevarría passed away in Rome on Dec. 12, 2016, the feast of Our Lady of<br />
Guadalupe.<br />
All three were Spaniards. Both Del Portillo and Echevarría had worked closely with Escrivá and were widely seen internally<br />
as authoritative interpreters of his mind, so it was almost as if the founder continued <strong>to</strong> hold the reins from beyond the grave.<br />
One of the biggest challenges of the new prelate will be the fact that most of the candidates were teenagers at the time of<br />
Escrivá’s death.<br />
There are currently 2,083 Opus Dei priests, plus 1,900 who are members of the Society of the Holy Cross, an association for<br />
priests. Most in the latter group were ordained in diocesan seminaries, but later in life embraced Opus Dei’s spirituality.<br />
The prelature’s website defines “the sanctification of work, prayer and service <strong>to</strong> others, unity of life and, especially, knowing<br />
ourselves <strong>to</strong> be children of God and of the Church” as the keys of St. Josemaria’s message.<br />
During the almost 90 years of its existence, Opus Dei has been a powerful ac<strong>to</strong>r in the Catholic Church, and also controversial.<br />
Lauded for its commitment <strong>to</strong> the empowerment of laity, it was also looked upon with suspicion by critics who accused the<br />
group of a cult-like internal culture.<br />
It’s also often considered <strong>to</strong> have a conservative political and theological agenda, which plays well among some circles and<br />
not so much in others.<br />
As prelate, Echevarría had <strong>to</strong> get through several controversies, including the aftermath of Escrivá’s beatification<br />
under St. Pope John Paul II, which many believed happened <strong>to</strong>o quickly after his death. Then similar accusations arose<br />
a decade later, when Escrivá was declared a saint.<br />
Accusations of Opus Dei being a financial empire, <strong>to</strong>o aligned with a “machista” treatment of women and secrecy were<br />
<strong>common</strong> currency, leading <strong>to</strong> some bishops looking askance at the idea of an Opus Dei operation in their diocese.<br />
Today, however, most Catholic officials see Opus Dei as they might see Caritas or the Salesians: as another piece of furniture<br />
in the Catholic living room.
The process <strong>to</strong> choose a prelate<br />
The procedure begins <strong>to</strong>day, with a meeting of the 38 women members of the Opus Dei’s Central Advisory. They will be asked<br />
<strong>to</strong> vote for the man whom they believe is best suited <strong>to</strong> become the next prelate.<br />
Their ballots will be opened by the all-male elec<strong>to</strong>ral congress on Monday, Jan. 23. The congress is made up of 156 men, 62<br />
of whom are lay and as such elec<strong>to</strong>rs, but not eligible <strong>to</strong> be prelate.<br />
The congress will consider the names given by the women as the candidates.<br />
Once the new prelate has been chosen, Francis has <strong>to</strong> approve the appointment, though canonically he could refuse <strong>to</strong> do so.<br />
If tradition holds true <strong>to</strong> form, within months after the election the pope will make him a bishop.<br />
At a press briefing on Tuesday Father Eduardo Baura, a canon law expert said that when John Paul II gave the Opus Dei its<br />
statutes, it was him who decided it’d be an elec<strong>to</strong>ral college that would choose the person and then it’d be up <strong>to</strong> the pope <strong>to</strong><br />
confirm it.<br />
Baura also said that even though the women’s vote is not binding, it does have an important consultation value that cannot be<br />
ignored: “It represents the voice of 57 percent of the members!” he said.<br />
Possible candidates<br />
There are several names that are currently being posed as potential prelates. Two of them are considered “obvious” possibilities:<br />
Spaniard Father Fernando Ocáriz, Auxiliary Vicar since 1994, virtually serving as Echevarría’s right-hand man, and Argentine<br />
Father Mariano Fazio, Vicar General since 2014.<br />
Despite what their titles might lead one <strong>to</strong> infer, Ocáriz’s position is higher.<br />
Ocáriz was born in Paris in 1944 and ordained a priest in 1971. He’s been a consul<strong>to</strong>r <strong>to</strong> the Vatican’s Congregation for the<br />
Doctrine of the Faith since 1986, and, after Echevarria’s passing, became the provisional head of Opus Dei.<br />
Fazio, born in Buenos Aires in 1960, is a man Pope Francis knows well. Before being named Vicar General, he served as<br />
rec<strong>to</strong>r of Opus Dei’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, from 2002 <strong>to</strong> 2008. From there, he served as Regional<br />
Vicar in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia, until he was summoned back <strong>to</strong> Rome in 2014.<br />
Despite many seeing these two as the obvious candidates, several of the elec<strong>to</strong>rs consulted by Crux said they didn’t want the<br />
process <strong>to</strong> be an “au<strong>to</strong>matic promotion” but a decision that results from prayer.<br />
Other names being floated are Austrian Father Ernst Burkhart; American Father Frederick Dolan, who currently serves<br />
as regional vicar in Canada; American Father Thomas G. Bohlin, regional leader in the United States; and Father Silvano<br />
Ochouodho, regional vicar in Kenya.<br />
It’s worth noting that all the names being considered spent an important chunk of their lives in Rome.<br />
According <strong>to</strong> the statutes of the prelature, the man chosen, who will in-house be referred <strong>to</strong> as “the Father,”<br />
has <strong>to</strong> “stand out for the way he lives the virtues of charity and prudence, for his life of piety, love for the Church and her<br />
magisterium, and fidelity <strong>to</strong> the spirit of Opus Dei.”<br />
Josefina Maradiaga, from the Opus Dei press office in Argentina, <strong>to</strong>ld Crux that nationality and personal style of the new<br />
prelate “don’t matter.”<br />
“What we want is <strong>to</strong> accompany Pope Francis in this new evangelization, and we will be as close <strong>to</strong> the new prelate as we<br />
were <strong>to</strong> the previous one,” she said. “We love him already, and we’re happy for him in advance.”<br />
Inés Llorens, a canon law professor at Santa Croce, said that even though she’s <strong>to</strong>o young <strong>to</strong> have known either Escriva or<br />
Del Portillo, the process so far has been what she had been <strong>to</strong>ld it would be: “The unity of the Work that prays for the ‘elder<br />
brother,’ and for whomever comes after.”<br />
She agrees with Maradiaga that there’s no concern over who that person will be, nor is anyone thinking that because he hasn’t<br />
lived with Escriva he won’t be fit for the job.<br />
“There’s a general sense of peace … and trust in God,” she said.