Opus Dei…whose work, exactly?
Opus Dei is a secretive, ultra- ultra-conservative Catholic organization. The name means “work of God,” and it is supposed to be a kind of hybrid between a monastic order and a lay institution.(1) There are priests within it, but also lay people who marry, have children, and so on.
It is also very controversial. Its founder, the Spanish priest Josemaría Escrivá, was said to be anti-Democratic, and, indeed, a frequent defender of right-wing dictatorships.(2) Moreover, Escrivá was so antagonistic to liberal reforms in the church that, shortly after Vatican II, he was reported to have considered leading Opus Dei in the Orthodox Church.(3)
Whatever the truth of these stories, Opus Dei has been a potent organization within the Church for decades. Pope John Paul II favored the group and promoted its interests. Further, until very recently, the group was largely independent of oversight from anyone other than itself. And the organization’s critics have said that it has far too much influence within the larger church.(4) For example, in the early 1980s, the Vatican’s banking interests were shaken by the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano, an Italian bank in which the Church was heavily invested. Afterwards, the Church needed new financial leadership, and Opus Dei people provided some of that.
In fact, financial writer Robert Hutchison, in his book, Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei, has argued that the organization has become a banking powerhouse and at least as corrupt as Banco Ambrosiano. However, Hutchison’s book has had its detractors. Kirkus called it “unconvincing.” (6)
But, whatever the reality of its financial dealings, Opus Dei has been extremely powerful within the Church and within American conservative politics. Opus Dei priests were prominent in the effort to deny President Biden communion, and have actively worked against him and other Democrats.(7) Opus Dei supporters have also been heavily involved in efforts to put conservative Catholics on the American Supreme Court.(8)
So, all in all, Opus Dei has been a hugely successful organization, almost a church within a church, and a king-maker in US conservative circles. But, things may not be going all Opus Dei’s way. Pope Francis seems to be no fan of the group and has clashed with its people dramatically.(9) In 2019, the group admitted that it paid $977,000 to settle a sexual misconduct suit filed against one of its most prominent and charismatic priests, Rev. C. John McCloskey, who was known for being the organization’s point man for powerful right-wing figures in Washington.(10)
And, then, to top it off, women are beginning to file suits against the organization for the exploitation of their labor. Apparently, and particularly in Latin America, Opus Dei recruited young women to its service, offering them educations. But, once they were in the organization, they were set to cooking and cleaning in the group’s facilities, without pay, for years upon years. Finally, these women are coming forward and demanding restitution.(11)
Whether any of this will have any effect on Opus Dei remains unclear, of course. The organization has endured greater challenges in the past and emerged unchanged. Still, you have a feeling that maybe, just maybe, it is starting to feel a little heat. In Rome, it no longer has the support of the Pope. In the United States, it is increasingly identified with a form of conservatism that frightens many Democrats, and not a few Republicans.
Still, whether it changes or not, Opus Dei is important to us. In its current form, it appears to be a danger to some of liberalism’s more cherished institutions. And, whatever its shape, it is instructive. It shows us, once more, that the combination of religious zealotry, big money, and power all too often results in an organization of which Christ would not approve…
And which, indeed, would not approve of Christ.
~mjt
1. Opus Dei, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_Dei
2. Opus Dei, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_Dei#Criticism
3. Josemaría Escrivá, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josemar%C3%ADa_Escriv%C3%A1
4. Controversies about Opus Dei, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_about_Opus_Dei#Alleged_independence_and_influence_within_the_Roman_Catholic_Church
5. Robert Hutchinson, Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei, Thomas Dunne Books, 2014, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LRY2U1A
6. A review of Their Kingdom Come, Kirkus, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/robert-hutchison/their-kingdom-come/
7. “Villanova conference elevates calls for Biden to be denied Communion,” by Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter, Apr 27, 2021, https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/villanova-conference-elevates-calls-biden-be-denied-communion
8. “Behind the dark-money web that put Barrett (and Kavanaugh and Gorsuch) on the Supreme Court,” By Jon Skolnik, Salon, Published March 30, 2021 6:10AM (EDT), https://www.salon.com/2021/03/30/behind-the-dark-money-web-that-put-barrett-and-kavanaugh-and-gorsuch-on-the-supreme-court/
9. “Pope Francis feud: How Vatican leader endured huge clash with Opus Dei bishop,” by Charlie Bradley, Express, Tue, Dec 17, 2019, https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1218382/christian-news-pope-francis-opus-dei-bishop-vatican-catholic-church-spt
10. “Opus Dei paid $977,000 to settle sexual misconduct claim against prominent Catholic priest,” by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, January 7, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/01/08/opus-dei-paid-settle-sexual-misconduct-claim-against-prominent-catholic-priest/
11. “Women in Argentina claim labor exploitation by Opus Dei,” by Debora Ey, AP News, November 12, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/business-paraguay-europe-argentina-uruguay-43b48ed43c2f7ddebf05ec6203b12d8d
Copyright©2021 Michael Jay Tucker
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