February 26, 2013      Martin Mallon  (Ireland)      Martin's previous articles

                             OPUS DEI – CANCER WITHIN?

A worrying aspect, that is being highlighted by the current debate over who will be the next Pope, is the influence that Opus Dei will have on the result.  

This means that our Church, which forbids Catholics to be members of secret societies, could have the selection of the next Pope heavily influenced by a Catholic secret society, Opus Dei.  

There is clearly something seriously wrong with this situation and we should pray that the next Pope will tackle the statutes of Opus Dei and reform the society so that it is, firstly, no longer secret and, secondly, that it no longer is able to use its wealth  and power within the Church to disproportionately influence church attitudes, particularly within the Roman Curia.  

David Timbs excellent article of August 19, 2012, The Anatomy of a Peruvian Catastrophe, points out some of Opus Dei’s inherent fault lines:  

It is important to be aware of a very significant period in the early growth of Opus Dei and the development of its identity within the Catholic Church. The Spanish Civil War was a defining era as it marked an intense conflict between two ideological enemies, international Socialism with its Marxist backers and black Fascism. Franco’s Spain was the victor and one of the principal beneficiaries in the post-war period was the Catholic Church and its privileged clericalist sub-culture. Opus Dei went on to export this culture especially to Latin America . A key lesson it took with it from the experience of the Spanish Civil War was a fear of Communism and suspicion of anything remotely involving the rhetoric of class struggle.

As in Spain , it established its identity by encouraging its members to achieve at the highest levels in their professional lives in all areas of society. It highly valued and maintained a tightly organised structure with strict clerical control. It demanded absolute obedience of its members, and their consciences were frequently scrutinised and directed. It flourished, sect-like on a cult of leadership, indoctrination, conservative fundamentalist education. Socially and ecclesiastically it defended the status quo which was the genius of Josemaria Escriva’s agenda.    

David’s closing paragraph in his article is particularly enlightening:  

Opus Dei has become an institution at odds with the People of God. It has morphed into a church within the Church and it has employed pretence, fabrication, self-interest and sheer power to escalate hostilities and wage ideological warfare against its fellow Catholics. This is a major scandal, an obstacle to faith and a defeat for the Gospel. [i]  

The fact that Opus Dei is “a church within the Church” is the fundamental problem. Opus Dei is a Personal Prelature, which means that the head bishop has authority over all its members, no matter what country they are in. In addition, according to Wikipedia:  

Critics state that Opus Dei is "intensely secretive"— for example, members generally do not disclose their affiliation with Opus Dei in public. Further, under the 1950 constitution, members were expressly forbidden to reveal themselves without the permission of their superiors.[ii]  

This means it is difficult for anyone to know who is a member of Opus Dei, which is clearly a secret society.  

When we then read, as per John Wotherspoonn’s article of February 24, 2013:

The last conclave in April 2005 showed how a well-organized group who had met in advance (mainly at the Opus Dei headquarters on the Viale Bruno Buozzi in Rome), had chosen their candidate (Joseph Ratzinger) well before the conclave started, could succeed. The brevity of the conclave showed that the majority of the cardinals were disorganized and unprepared, including the supporters of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, SJ. 
- Dr Paul Collins writing for Catholica Feb 22, 2013[iii]

it is time to worry. Who knows how many cardinals are in Opus Dei?  

Our creed proclaims we are “one...church”; I suggest that as long as there is a secret society such as Opus Dei in our midst we are not “one...church.” Will this papal election be free and open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, or does Opus Dei have a disproportionate influence on the outcome?  

We must remember that the power of God can deal with all such problems. However, it is the job of Catholics to shine a light on these issues so that they are no longer hidden. I would suggest that we all pray for a pope who listens to the Holy Spirit; we can trust the Holy Spirit to deal with Opus Dei, but “Everyone who asks receive” (Math 7:8)