What is Opus Dei?

Opus Dei was founded in 1928 by a 26 year old Spanish Roman Catholic Priest Josemaria Escriva. It was the result of a call from God Escriva received to bring the work of the Lord to lay people and to reinvigorate them in the work of God. Opus Dei literally translates as Work of God.

The mission of Opus Dei is to bring the work of God into everyday life. Its members believe in making ever part of their life a part of their walk with God. The Church is not just where they go on Sundays, it is a part of the very air that they breathe.

Escriva published a number of books, the best known and most popular of them being The Way. First published in 1934 the book has now sold well over 4 million copies and been translated into 43 different languages. It outlines how Catholics can walk the Way of the Lord, bringing his work into their everyday lives. It is not just a philosophy, for members of Opus Dei it truly is a way of life.

One of the most controversial parts of the church’s history is the support by many of its members of the regime of Francisco Franco in Spain. The Fascist dictator ruled Spain with an iron fist for decades but always remained a staunch Catholic and protected the Church. Many cite the support of Franco by many members of Opus Dei as evidence of their ultra-conservative and even Fascist leanings.

In 1982 Pope John Paul II made Opus Dei a personal prelature. This separates it from traditional orders and lay organizations, granting it great autonomy and allowing them in many cases to speak directly to Rome, circumventing local Church authorities. Critics believe that this decision by the Pope is evidence of Opus Dei’s power over the Papacy.

Josemaria Escriva was beatified in 1992, only 17 years after his death, one of the first to be beatified less than 20 years after death. Many believe that this change of rules came as the direct result of action by Opus Dei to speed up the process of Escriva’s becoming a Saint. Mother Teresa, however, was beatified only 6 years after her death in 2003, and Pope Benedict XVI has already begun the beatification process for his predecessor Pope John Paul little over a month after his death, rather than wait the traditional 5 years to begin the process. Escriva was canonized as a saint in 2002.

The Organization of Opus Dei

Much of the controversy surrounding Opus Dei revolves around its secretive structure and its lack of publicity. Opus Dei members are divided into three categories: Associates, numeraries and supernumeraries.

Supernumeraries are the lowest level of the organization and make up the bulk of its members. Supernumeraries are not required to be celibate and moth have families and live seemingly normal lives.

Numeraries make up the core of the group, and make up about 20% of the membership. Although lay people, they pledge themselves to celibacy and live in special sex-segregated Opus Dei centers: sort of modern Opus Dei monasteries/convents. Members do have day jobs and work out in the world, but return to the centers every night and the majority of their income goes into the development of the centers and the Opus Dei groups.

Secretive Ultra-Powerful Ultra-Wealthy Cult?

Much of the controversy over Opus Dei stems from the organization’s secretive ways and their rumored great wealth and power. Their secrecy combined with these rumors makes them perfect fodder for a novelist such as Dan Brown to play his villainous role.

While secrecy is certainly a part of the group, they claim that they have nothing to hide. Opus Dei does not publish lists of its members, but members are allowed to revel themselves if they so choose. This was not always the case: in the early years members were required to keep their status as members of Opus Dei secret.

According to some studies the assets of Opus Dei total about $344.4 million in the United States and about $2.8 billion worldwide. Wealthy to be sure but not even close to Bill Gates category. However this does not include the wealth of its members, many of whom certainly have large reserves of cash. When Opus Dei needs a few million here or there for new building projects they rarely have problems gathering up the cash from members and cooperators in short order.

The issue of the power of Opus Dei is one that is still under great debate. Certainly they are not without their resources, although whether or not they are the secret puppetmasters of the Catholic Church and the secular world is something that is hard to judge.

Self-Mortification

Perhaps the largest criticism of Opus Dei is the practice of self-mortification. Josemaria Escriva himself is said to have whipped himself regularly until the floor was red with blood as an act of penance before God.

Although they do not like to mention it Opus Dei does endorse mortification practices. They recommend that a cilice (a barbed metal belt worn strapped to the waist) be worn for two hours a day to remind practitioners of the pain that Christ felt on the cross.

Besides the cilice Opus Dei also recommends its members whip themselves once a week with a device known as a discipline, a tightly knotted rope that is swung against the back. This sort of self-flagellation is something that has a long history in the Catholic Church, however Opus Dei has reinvigorated the practice in modern times.

While these mortification practices are not exactly mandatory, at least at the supernumerary level, they are highly encouraged and the majority of Opus Dei members follow them. These sorts of practices along with the mysterious secrecy of the group leads to its many criticisms as a cult.

Summary

While Opus Dei might not be the secretive puppet master organization capable of killing in cold blood to defend long-held secrets of the Catholic Church as they are portrayed in The Da Vinci Code, they are certainly a mysterious and intriguing organization.

Opus Dei believes in the complete religiosity of life and the enlistment of lay people into the Work of God. They are also highly conservative, harkening back to many older concepts of Catholicism, particularly in their views on women and their endorsement of self-mortification.

Certainly Opus Dei does have its monetary resources, however their wealth hardly puts it into the category of wealthiest religious organization on earth. Many of its members are quite wealthy, and the organization itself rejects the mendicancy of orders such as the Franciscans. Their power over the secular world is unknown, however it would seem that they are not without resources when it comes to wielding political power.