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Opus Dei in the Open.(Brief Article)
Many of the greatest Roman Catholic saints--Dominic, Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola--were also founders of great religious orders. To this August list Pope John Paul II will add the name of Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, the Spanish founder of Opus Dei. The canonization this week will draw at least 250,000 spectators to Rome.
For Opus Dei--Latin for the Work of God--the ceremony represents the Vatican's highest seal of approval for an international organization that critics regard as a secretive, almost Masonic sect within the Catholic Church. Under John Paul II, Opus Dei has replaced the Jesuits in papal favor. Its members hold offices throughout the Vatican bureaucracy, including the pope's press spokesman, and its wealth and influence have silenced most opponents in the Roman Curia. At a time when vocations to the priesthood are in decline--and sex-abuse scandals beset the American church--the relentlessly evangelical Opus Dei operatives are adding new members every day. Yet even its admirers know little about the inner workings of this shadowy church within the church.
Forged in the heat of the Spanish Civil War, Opus Dei now exercises political and financial clout well beyond the confines of the church. In Spain, two members of Opus Dei serve in the cabinet and many more in the hierarchy of the ruling Popular Party. Last year in Chile an Opus Dei member ran unsuccessfully for president. In the United States, former FBI director Louis Freeh is just one of a number of prominent Opus Dei members in Washington--among them his nemesis, convicted Russian spy Robert Hanssen.
Unlike the Jesuits and other religious orders, Opus Dei is a lay organization with a society of priests attached. Escriva's genius was to fashion a movement of worldly ascetics organized in a loose, cell- like structure. Members are encouraged to be entrepreneurial, creating autonomous businesses, foundations and study centers. Though they are financed, run and staffed by Opus Dei members, each can claim to be officially unrelated to the religious organization. Even within the church, Opus Dei enjoys a unique ecclesiastical privilege. Its members are under the authority of the Opus Dei bishop in Rome, Javier Echevarria--unlike other lay Catholics ruled by the bishop of the local diocese.
As members see it, Opus Dei is ...
- Opus Dei gains ground in England.(World)
- Magazine article from: National Catholic Reporter Allen, John L., Jr. January 21, 2005 700+ words
...residence for university students operated by Opus Dei, called Netherhall. The parish includes a...around the world entrusted to the clergy of Opus Dei. In the United States, the lone Opus Dei parish is St. Mary of the Angels in Chicago...
- Pope to Canonize Josemaria Escriva, Founder Of Opus Dei.
- Press release article from: PR Newswire February 27, 2002 700+ words
...Arne Panula, the vicar of Opus Dei in the United States. "The Church, in declaring...the number of people in Opus Dei has grown to 84,000 people worldwide, 3,000 in the United States. In 1982 Opus Dei became the Catholic Church...
- Feast of Saint Josemaria Escriva, the Founder of Opus Dei, to be Celebrated For...
- Press release article from: PR Newswire June 10, 2003 700+ words
...the first member of Opus Dei in the United States, will celebrate the Mass...are in the Prelature of Opus Dei worldwide, with around 3,000 in the United States. More information about Opus Dei can be found on its Web...
- Canonization boosts Opus Dei's power. (World).
- Magazine article from: National Catholic Reporter Donovan, Gill October 11, 2002 700+ words
...over the past two decades, Opus Dei's presence in Rome and the...has named more than a dozen Opus Dei priests to be bishops. Denver...Jose H. Gomez is the first Opus Dei bishop in the United States, and the pope's press officer...
- Opus Dei founder to be saint; Spanish priest started lay unit; 1 of 9 new...
- Newspaper article from: The Washington Times February 27, 2002 700+ words
...Spanish founder of Opus Dei, an influential...movement in the United States, will be made...canonization July 30. Opus Dei, with 84...000 in the United States, is considered...fine." In the United States, Opus Dei has 60 centers...
- Founder of Opus Dei will be saint.(NATION)
- Newspaper article from: The Washington Times October 4, 2002 700+ words
...an impact in the United States as well. "The spirituality of Opus Dei is the ethic of...group in Potomac. "Opus Dei is a [religious...000 members in the United States, most of them laity...John Paul II gave Opus Dei the special status...
- Opus Dei today.
- Magazine article from: Commonweal Bergonzi, Bernard February 25, 2005 700+ words
...known to have links with Opus Dei since the days of General Franco. In the past, Opus Dei has appealed to people...Britain that they are in the United States), and prompted unease...Catholics, who do not like Opus Dei's record (or even the...
- The Mysteries of Opus Dei.(The Da Vinci Code)
- Magazine article from: U.S. News & World Report Boser, Ulrich December 22, 2003 700+ words
...flagellation have made Opus Dei the Roman Catholic Church...spiritually conscious lives, Opus Dei now has almost 85,000...and some 3,000 in the United States. While the group is small...Justice Antonin Scalia). Opus Dei won't say who its members...
Source: HighBeam Research, Opus Dei in the Open.(Brief Article)