Opus Dei Material for those who Want the Facts

Relativism on Campus and in Society 2009

2009-08-19T11:31:00.004-04:00

Every September as students roll back onto campus, Ernescliff College offers their yearly University Seminar. This year it will be held from September 4 - 6, 2009. Years ago the late Harold Bloom had already made waves in the university community by suggesting that the only believable truth for first year students was that there is no truth. Pope Benedict XVI has helped to reveal the instability of such a process of thinking: just as the Nineteenth Century saw the dictatorship of reason, where one accepted as true only that which could be measured or scientifically proven, discarding any notion of the value of faith or hope, today it is the dictatorship of relativism, where nothing is certain, everything is in flux and even the capacity of man's reason to reach truth is derided. Four speakers will examine the impact of relativism today:

- Dr. Robert Kenedy will address us on the subject of "Political Correctness, Relativism and Free Speech on Campus." Dr. Kenedy is a Sociology Professor at York University. Among his many other research interests, he is an expert on the subject of critical thinking and university success skills.
- Dr. Clifford Orwin, who is a Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Toronto where he has taught for more than twenty five years and where he currently serves as Chair of the Munk Centre's program in Political Philosophy and International Affairs. The title of his talk will be "Nothing Will Come of Nothing: the Tension between Liberalism and Relativism." It will address the common misconception that the state must espouse relativism and be value neutral in order to ensure that peace, democracy and freedom reign in the body politic
- Dr. Leslie Tomory, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in the History and Philosophy of Science will speak about The Philosophical roots of Relativism
- Mr. Anthony Schratz, is a lawyer and the director of Ernescliff College. His topic will be: The Dictatorship of Relativism in the thought of Pope Benedict XVI.

More information on fees and schedule can be found here.

National Post Wades in to defend Opus Dei

2008-09-20T16:46:00.005-04:00

Michael Coren has published a defence of Opus Dei in The National Post on account of the uproar produced in the media when Gilles Duceppe, leader of the Bloc Quebecois, announced that the candidate for the Conservative party in Saint-Hubert-Saint-Bruno, Nicole Charbonneau Barron, was an Opus Dei member. Then Raymond Gravel, a Catholic priest and outgoing Bloc MP, opined that, "Social conservatives such as members of Opus Dei may be running for office in order to change policies concerning abortion and same-sex marriage." And that's a bad thing? To defend life? In any case, it would not be Opus Dei doing this, but an individual, who takes orders only from her party, and nobody else. This is why Coren clarifies in his Sept 18th column, "No albino killers, just dishonourable separatists" what Opus Dei really is, and he does it masterfully.

Yet that doesn't mean we can't add a clarification. Coren mentions that Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Pope, as though we we're his personal little thing to play with. The "personal" refers to jurisdiction, not to the person of Pope. Yes we are a personal prelature, but the “personal” meant to refer to a jurisdiction as opposed to “territorial” jurisdiction like a diocese. If we belong to anyone, we belong to the Vatican Congregation for the Bishops, just like a diocese does. Our bishop Prelate, Msgr. Echevarria, is under the authority of the Pope, just like all bishops. For some, this might seem like splitting hairs, but it is a distinction that underlines how much Opus Dei really is like everyone else, and that in fact we're not some kind of personal army of the Pope, even if we love the pope and would fight any war for him.

Charles Lewis, another collumnist for the Post, has a great interview with Msgr. Frederick Dolan, the Vicar of Opus Dei in Canada, and beautifully debunks the idea that we're somehow super secretive, especially if we're in the phone book, and Msgr. Dolan gave him and other journalists his business card with all the info he needed.

London Times Likes a Good Seminar on How to Talk

2008-09-20T16:16:00.004-04:00

It seems that Opus Dei's efforts to explain itself during the Da Vinci Code is still paying off. Another seminar for journalists was held at Santa Croce this September 8-14, 2008 with the title The Church Up Close.

"We were pretty bad at communications, we were forced to learn and now we are giving courses on it," said Jack Valero, of Opus Dei, the organisation that ran the seminar at its Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

A few years ago, before the Da Vinci Code phenomenon, a flyer about a seminar for journalists organised by Opus Dei would have been greeted with howls of derision and binned. One of the many ironies of the post-Dan Brown Catholic Church is that Opus Dei has moved into the mainstream, perhaps because the novel was too far-fetched even for the most credulous of anti-Catholic conspiracy theorists. And at least the organisation is trying to help.

The London Times sent their own religion correspondent Ruth Gledhill, and she seems to have had a blast.

You can read the rest of the Times article and all the fun that Ms. Gledhill seems to have had in the Eternal City. The title of her piece is "The Pope finally gets the message: it's good to talk". No kidding. It is a great article and worth the read.

Rome Seminar to be held for Journalists

2008-05-18T15:29:00.008-04:00

Here is a May 15th article on Catholic Online about a recent Communications seminar at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome. It includes an interview with Fr. John Wauck who teaches communications at the university and who is known for his own blog which he initiated during the Da Vinci Code phenomena. He still gets plenty of hits. The article is written by Miriam Díez i Bosch:

Opus Dei Father John Wauck explained to ZENIT the difficulties journalists have when they are assigned to report on the Church and he spoke about the seminar he is helping to organize.

ROME, (Zenit) - Most journalists covering the Church have a hard time grasping its scope, and its real nature "slips through their fingers," said an organizer of a seminar that aims to give the press tools for reporting on Catholicism.

Opus Dei Father John Wauck explained to ZENIT the difficulties journalists have when they are assigned to report on the Church and he spoke about the seminar he is helping to organize.

Father Wauck is the president of the organizing committee for "The Church Up Close: Covering Catholicism in the Age of Benedict XVI," offered by Rome's Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

The Sept. 8-14 seminar is for English-speaking professional journalists.

"Most journalists covering the Roman Catholic Church have difficulty grasping the full scope of the institution they're talking about," Wauck said. "They tend to write from a more narrow national or ideological perspective, and the real nature of the Church slips through their fingers, because the Church is universal -- truly catholic -- and transcends ideological-political categories."

Seminar speakers include Cardinal James Stafford (former archbishop of Denver and former president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, now Apostolic Penitentiary), Father Brian Ferme (former dean of Catholic University of America's canon law department and now head of a new school of canon law in Venice), Franciscan Father David Jaeger, (a Holy See expert on relations with Israel) and Francis Campbell (the British ambassador to the Holy See).

Lay of the land

Diego Contreras, dean of the school of Church communications at the Holy Cross University, explained how the seminar came about.

"In essence, 'The Church Up Close' seminar is a condensed version of a series of classes that our school already offers -- once a month, in Italian -- during the academic year for Rome-based 'vaticanisti,'" he said. "The success of that series inspired us to offer a similar program -- all in one week, and in English -- for journalists who are not permanently based in Rome."

In addition to classroom sessions, the fall seminar will feature field trips and personal meetings with curial officials and veteran Vatican correspondents.

The goal is to provide both a basic sense of the Vatican and an in-depth analysis of specific hot-button issues facing the Church today. Coming on the heels of Benedict XVI's trip to the United States, the seminar also promises to give insights into the Pope's thinking and his leadership of the world's largest Church.

Father Wauck added, "Frequently, journalists covering the Roman Catholic Church lack historical perspective. Nowadays, many journalists are used to working within a time-frame that is limited to a few days, sometimes even a few hours. The Church, though, is the oldest institution in the world, and it understands itself in terms of centuries, even millennia."

Daniel Arasa, a member of the organizing committee, said he hopes that "journalists who attend the first 'Church Up Close' seminar [...] will go home with a solid, realistic sense of 'the lay of the land' in Rome: not just who's who and who does what, but also a deeper appreciation for the history and culture of the Church."

"I also hope that they'll come away understanding why the Church sees the modern world -- including things like cutting-edge technologies, international affairs, bioethical challenges, demographic changes and religious pluralism -- the way it does: with both loving concern and genuine hope," he said.

The seminar has been made possible by a generous grant from the U.S.-based Our Sunday Visitor Foundation.

Pope's Vicar for Rome Given Honorary Doctorate

2008-04-12T12:28:00.012-04:00

Pope's Vicar for Rome Given Honorary Doctorate

Recognized for Work in Communication and Culture

ROME, APRIL 11, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's vicar for the Diocese of Rome was awarded an honorary doctorate in institutional social communications from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
Cardinal Camillo Ruini, along with Professor Alfonso Nieto, received their degrees Wednesday in a ceremony presided over by Bishop Javier Echevarría, prelate of Opus Dei.
A communiqué from the university explained why Cardinal Ruini was selected, mentioning his role in launching a "cultural project given a Christian bearing" that he presented in 1994 to the Italian episcopal conference, of which he was then president.

At the heart of this project, the cardinal himself affirmed, is "an ample and anthropological acceptance of culture itself: Understood in this way, this extends from the deepest convictions regarding the meaning and destiny of our life and all its reality to the most concrete and frequent activities."
"Culture is then the fundamental ground for growth, in place of alienation or deviation of the person, and also the privileged space for the incarnation of the Gospel in life and in history and for its confrontation with other, different concepts, choices or behaviors."

Orientations

In his teaching, Cardinal Ruini has often affirmed that social communications are dominated by "orientations unfavorable to the Church." In this context, the prelate explained that in the last 20 years, the Church has tried to respond to the challenges presented by communication. He recalled the progress made in Italy, ranging from the establishment of the SIR news agency to diocesan papers to the daily Avvenire.
The cardinal also highlighted that "social communication is ever more important for evangelization and the communication of the faith, but it is not enough in itself and is not even the most efficient path, which continues being that of personal, direct contact and relationships within the believing community."

At the same time, he said, one has to be "prepared to understand the deep movements that pass through society and culture, to introduce our message into them, capitalizing on them and directing toward the good the energies derived from them."

Christians who work in the media, Cardinal Ruini added, should seek their sanctification through work, as St. Josemaria Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei, always taught.

Professor Norberto González Gaitano, author of the "laudatio" of Cardinal Ruini, described the prelate as having "an extraordinary communicative sensitivity that expresses a true respect for public opinion. Such a communicative sensitivity is born from the understanding of the relationship that links culture and communication." During the same ceremony, Alfonso Nieto also received an honorary doctorate. He was rector of Spain's University of Navarre for 12 years, and the degree recognized him as "a pioneer in the recognition of communication studies at the university level in Europe."

Opus Dei students and young professionals prepare for Pope

2008-04-09T22:35:00.005-04:00

Young people are very excited about the papal trip to the US, and some high school students that attend the means of formation in the centres of the Prelature are getting involved in the upbeat tone of support for B16. Here's an example of an article posted in the Catholic News Service. The story of preparing banners with motos such as Omnes cum Petro ad Jesum per Mariam (that's the complete version) and other Latin blurbs, reminds me of the visit of Pope John Paull II to Canada in 1984, when we spent hours painting similar banners and lining the papal route in Montreal and Toronto. They are simple expressions of enthusiastic unity with the Pope. I hope I'll spot one of them on TV during the coverage. The omnes cum Petro line is not exactly "an Opus Dei prayer" as the article below mentions, but comes from a passage in The Forge, no. 647, and is a reflection of Saint Josemaria's deep desire for Christian unity and which many members of Opus Dei have indeed converted in an aspiration and prayer.

By Angelo Stagnaro
4/10/2007

Opus Dei is one of the Ecclesial Movements flourishing in the Church during this time of "New Evangelization"

NEW YORK (CNS) - Students and young professionals associated with Opus Dei gathered April 5 to get ready for Pope Benedict XVI's visit by creating banners and practicing cheers, chants and songs.

Headed by the high school students in the group, the banner-making party at Opus Dei's U.S. headquarters in New York prepared two pieces they hoped will attract the attention of the pope as he makes his way around the city.

They planned to carry the banners wherever they thought they might be able to see the pope from the street.

Opus Dei is a personal prelature founded in 1928 by St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer in Madrid, Spain. Its principle aim is to help people come closer to God in their work and everyday lives. It has 88,000 members worldwide, 3,000 in the United States.

"During this time of war, I really believe that the pope's visit will help Americans come to see what is the right response to our enemies," said Will Narduzzi, 15, a sophomore at Seton Hall Preparatory High School in West Orange, N.J.

Jim O'Toole, 15, said he believed the pope's visit will be a blessing for the country.

"He's a beacon to the world especially in terms of respect for life and humanity," he said in an interview.

One of the 30-foot banners portrayed the New York City skyline, and over the image were superimposed the words "Omnes cum Petro," referring to the need for all Christians to see the pope as the head of Christ's church. The words are from the opening of a common Opus Dei prayer.

The second banner showed the pope's coat of arms splayed across an American flag along with the words "Gratias tibi Benedictus XVI" ("Thank you, Pope Benedict").

Alvaro Aguirre, a 19-year-old Spaniard from Navarre and an undergraduate student at Manhattan College, was particularly enthused about Pope Benedict's visit.

"I feel pumped up!" said Aguirre. "I think that many young Catholics felt Pope Benedict would be an extreme intellectual incapable of speaking to youth.

"Of course, we've found the opposite to be true. The pope knows how to speak to us, how to make complex theological issues easily understandable to people without any particular academic training," he said.

John Wilson, 23, was very hopeful the pope will continue his message of engaging Islam and other religions.

"The effects of what he says and does may not be immediately obvious to us but I believe that five and 10 years down the road, they will be obvious to everyone," he said.

Before arriving in New York for his April 18-20 visit, the pope will attend an interfaith meeting April 17 in Washington. He will be in the nation's capital April 15-17. He will attend an ecumenical meeting in New York April 18.

Opus Dei officials expected approximately 250 high school boys from the New York City area to participate in their activities when the pope arrives, along with 50 from Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Washington, and about 10 people from Guatemala. Plans called for daily Mass, prayer and a party.

Miguel Leonardo, 22, said he hoped the pope's visit would have a practical effect on the country.

"America struggles with its loss of a sense of morality in modern times. I believe the pope's visit will help renew our relationship with the pope and the church in general," he said.

Many of the students, especially those from out of town, did not have tickets to any of the New York papal events, and so they planned to pursue a "catch as catch can" strategy to see the pope.

Peter Scarby, 31, said he believed Pope Benedict's message would be poignantly felt by all Christians. "The pope has always been very ecumenically minded. His presence will spur dialogue among all Christians," he said.

Two Opus Dei priests, Fathers Robert Brisson and Javier Garcia, both administrators for the prelature on the national level, were scheduled to serve as television commentators during the pope's Yankee Stadium Mass.

Opus Dei Opens Its Doors to Everyone

2008-03-31T19:53:00.005-04:00

Msgr. Fernando Ocariz is the vicar general of Opus Dei. He has written a number of solid theology books, among them an excellent treatise on Christology, called the Mystery of Jesus Christ. Here is an interview that appeared in the Spanish edition of Zenit and has now been translated to English. The author is Miriam Díez i Bosch

ROME, MARCH 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The doors of Opus Dei are open to everyone, says the prelature's vicar general, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz.

ZENIT spoke to Monsignor Ocáriz for the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Opus Dei as a personal prelature -- the only one in existence at present.

He explains the relationship between this institution and the dioceses, and says that the strength of the group is simply the power that comes from the Gospel.

Q: Opus Dei was born to help laypeople in their ordinary life. Are laypeople truly a part of the prelature of Opus Dei, or is the prelature only for the relatively few priests of Opus Dei?
Monsignor Ocáriz: Opus Dei was born precisely to remind everyone, both priests and laypersons, of the universal call to holiness. As [the founder] St. Josemaría taught since 1928, the fact that this call is universal and that God calls each person, means that all upright human realities -- professional work, family and social relations -- can and should be a sanctified and sanctifying reality.

As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said when the founder of Opus Dei was canonized, the message of St. Josemaría Escrivá has helped to correct an erroneous idea of sanctity, as thought it were reserved only for the "great." Sanctity means becoming a friend of God, letting the Other act, the only one who can make this world good and joyful.

The laypeople of Opus Dei, both women and men, married or single, are an integral part of the prelature, just as much as the priests who constitute its clergy. The relationship between these sacred ministers and the lay faithful is that proper to the Church.

At the same time, each layperson also belongs to the diocese where he or she lives, just like any other Catholic. As John Paul II said on a number of occasions, referring specifically to Opus Dei, the ministerial priesthood of the clergy and the common priesthood of the lay faithful are united and linked in a unity of vocation and governance to fulfill the prelature's mission of evangelization under the guidance of its prelate.

Q: At this time Opus Dei is the only personal prelature. Do you receive inquiries from other ecclesiastical institutions that would like to become personal prelatures?

Monsignor Ocáriz: Yes, at the moment it's the only personal prelature. However, there are other ecclesiastical circumscriptions in the Church which are delimited on a personal -- and not territorial -- basis, for various pastoral needs. For instance, there are the apostolic exarchates that exist in some countries to care for faithful of Oriental Rites, the military ordinariates, and a personal apostolic administration erected a few years ago in Brazil.

Only the Holy See can establish a personal prelature. Furthermore, canon law lays down that the episcopal conferences that are involved also have to be consulted. Establishing a personal prelature is a pastoral decision, aimed at furthering the Church's mission in a world characterized by a constant movement of people. For example, in the post-synodal apostolic exhortations "Ecclesia in America" and "Ecclesia in Europa," John Paul II refers to personal prelatures as a possible solution for people in need of special pastoral attention, mentioning groups of immigrants in particular.

It is also possible, as happened with Opus Dei, that the action of the Holy Spirit inspires particular apostolic tasks, which give rise to pastoral needs that require the structure of a personal prelature.

I am not aware that Opus Dei has received any consultations from other institutions regarding the possibility of becoming a personal prelature. However, in the context of congresses, pastoral gatherings, etc., people of Opus Dei have sometimes been asked to pass on the experience the prelature has gathered over the years.

Q: What truth is there to Opus Dei's alleged independence -- autonomy, if you prefer -- stemming from the fact that juridically it is a personal prelature?

Monsignor Ocáriz: The reality is exactly the opposite. Erecting a prelature means precisely "dependence." It means placing a part of the Christian people in pastoral dependence under a member of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. It doesn't make sense to speak of independence or autonomy, since, on the contrary, Opus Dei depends on a prelate appointed by the Roman Pontiff.

The prelate and his vicars exercise ecclesiastical power in common with the other pastors, under the supreme authority of the Pope, in accord with the universal law of the Church and the particular law contained in the statutes which the Holy See has established for the prelature.

I think that the experience of the presence of Opus Dei in so many dioceses all over the world should contribute to an understanding, even from a practical point of view, that the personal prelatures introduced by the Second Vatican Council do not harm the unity of the particular churches. On the contrary, their purpose is to serve these churches in the general evangelizing mission of the Church.

As Benedict XVI wrote to the present prelate, Bishop Echevarría, on the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination, "when you foster the eagerness for personal sanctity and the apostolic zeal of your priests and laypeople, not only do you see the flock that has been entrusted to you grow, but you provide an effective help to the Church in her urgent evangelization of present-day society."

Q: Is it correct to say that there are "Opus Dei bishops"?

Monsignor Ocáriz: It depends what you mean by that phrase. When, as occurs at times, a priest of the prelature's clergy is called by the Holy Father to the episcopate, the same thing happens as with any diocesan priest: He ceases to be incardinated in the ecclesiastical circumscription from which he comes, although he continues to receive spiritual assistance from the prelature. He has the same canonical status as any other bishop.

Obviously, the prelate of Opus Dei has no power whatsoever over the episcopal mission of these bishops.

Q: I imagine that you don't see any "before and after" in Opus Dei as a result of the "Da Vinci Code" phenomenon.

Monsignor Ocáriz: Clearly not. It makes no sense to think that such a novel could have an historical impact great enough to result in a "before and after" in Opus Dei

On the other hand, it may very well have influenced some people. Without ignoring the disorientation that this type of literature could give rise to in some readers, I know that many people have decided to make contact with the prelature and its activities of Christian formation precisely as a consequence of the information that it gave about the Work, in order calmly to counteract the book's errors.

There have also been very many examples of solidarity with Opus Dei on the part of journalists, writers, and other people who have followed this topic more closely. It has occasioned a marvelous ecclesial solidarity; in times like these one truly senses that the Church is a family.

Q: At times one hears people speak of the "power" of Opus Dei. Why do you think this image has arisen?

Monsignor Ocáriz: Despite our personal limitations -- we neither are nor see ourselves as "the head of the class" -- God has blessed Opus Dei's work for souls with abundant apostolic fruit. Seen from a human point of view, some might see this as an expression of "strength" or "power."

In reality, the Work is a small part of the Church, and its "power" comes from its source: from the Gospel, which, as St. Paul writes, is "the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith." The fruitfulness of the work of Opus Dei's faithful is caused by the Holy Spirit in the Church and through the Church.

Anyone who comes to an apostolic activity organized by the prelature -- its doors are open to everyone -- is offered a broad vista of Christian life. Anyone who comes to the Work seeking human influence or anything other than a spiritual goal would not last very long. He would hear people speaking about love for Jesus Christ and the Church, about Christian commitment, about spiritual life and generous service to others.

Celibacy and Opus Dei

2008-03-31T17:56:00.003-04:00

The New Statesman proposes the third in a series of testimonies of Opus Dei members. Writing today is Kristina Boskova, a Registered Nurse working in a London hospital, and is a Numerary member of Opus Dei. When still a student in Bratislava, she came to London as an au pair, fell in love with the place and decided to stay. She came in contact with Opus Dei and eventually joined at the age of 20; she is now 24 years old.

Kritina's focus is on celibacy, a gift barely understandable for those without a supernatural outlook of life. Here is her post:

My dream was always to be a film director. I used to live in Elstree near the BBC Studios and thought the break-through would just happen one day! Nevertheless, I decided to study nursing! At the age of 19 I used to spend most of my time (and money) in the pub with my friends. All day Saturday and Sunday was spent shopping! It all got rather boring…

Then I met a friend who introduced me to Tamezin Club, a youth club run at one of the Opus Dei houses, where I began helping out with all sorts of activities. I loved the young people and found the work I was doing with them very creative and fulfilling. Little by little I became more interested in Opus Dei and received formation in the Catholic Faith which led me to think more deeply about my vocation in life.

Eventually I decided that my vocation was to become a member of Opus Dei. Then I had to make the choice between being a Supernumerary member, which meant I could marry and raise a family or a Numerary member which meant accepting celibacy. It was a big decision for me. I realized I would have to pray about it and follow my conscience. After much prayer, I decided I wanted to be a Numerary member. I asked to join, but they made me wait. I eventually joined in 2004 when I was 20 years old.

I now work full-time in a London Hospital as a staff nurse. I love what I am doing: caring for people, learning how the body works and how computers work and I love putting it all together! And, perhaps a throwback from the days when I thought of being film director, I like making short videos and DVDs, which tend to be short promotional or travel documentaries.

In my work I find it very helpful to consider my spiritual childhood. I am a daughter of God, a God who loves us and cares for us more than all the mothers of the world. This helps me to be happy and cheerful and do my best. My colleagues and I often have a good laugh at work – you certainly need humour in stressful or tiring situations. Good humour and cheerfulness are required when helping patients, when they are ill and feeling low, or scared, or worried about the future. And it can also help a patient get over an embarrassing moment. Many of my colleagues are practising Christians, and many are Muslims and we have an excellent relationship. My colleagues all work hard in the hospital and when they go home they still have so much to deal with, such as hungry children, food shopping and noisy neighbours. I have the great good fortune of going home and finding the other people of Opus Dei have prepared food for me, done my washing and cleaned the house. And sometimes when I may be upset or sad because a patient is very ill or has died, I am cared for. I, in my turn, correspond to that kindness by trying to be kind, witty and good company for them. I think this is a wonderful form of Christian fraternity.

Finishing Things Can Sanctify

2008-03-27T10:45:00.003-04:00

Here is the second installment in The New Statesman of testimonies by members of Opus Dei in England about their experiences. William Keenan, William Keenan first encountered Opus Dei in Manchester in the 1960s. He is a writer and journalist and he worked for many years on the Daily Mirror as a feature writer, television critic and investigative journalist. He tells about his struggle to finish things for God. A well-written piece:

I first came into contact with Opus Dei when a doctor in my parish began holding monthly social gatherings for parishioners at his home. One day he invited a priest of Opus Dei to give a talk. I seem to recall, that the talk wasn’t received too well with many of the liberal Catholics at the meeting. But I found the idea of finding holiness in everyday life and ordinary work fascinating.

I was then a journalist on the Daily Express in Manchester editing and laying out the feature pages, which included the City pages, the Leader page and the William Hickey gossip pages. My working hours were from four or five in the evening until around three a.m. the following morning. If I went straight home and to bed I would often have difficulty getting to sleep. I would find myself looking at the ceiling and redesigning pages and rewriting headlines in my head.

Several times a week when we finished work we would drive to the Press Club in Albert Square for a couple of pints of beer. This would mean getting to bed about four in the morning and rising about lunch time. After lunch I would try to do some writing. Then it was time to go to the office again.

I decided I would like to know more about Opus Dei and finding holiness in work and everyday life. The doctor who had organised the meeting was not a member of Opus Dei but used to go to the monthly evenings of recollection at Greygarth Hall, the Manchester centre of Opus Dei. He said the next time he was going he would take me with him. But he was unable to make it in the next few months so I took myself off to Greygarth for an evening of recollection.

Recollection, I discovered, consisted in a priest giving two meditations followed by Benediction. Afterwards there were tea, cakes, and biscuits. After that evening of recollection what impressed me very much was not what had been said during the meditations but the happiness and cheerfulness of the people I met and chatted to over tea and biscuits. That was the reason I continued attending over the next few months.

One person I seemed to get on particularly well with was a student from the Basque country of Spain who I think was doing a doctorate in electrical engineering. One day he asked how my writing was going and I told him about a play I had just started working on. He looked a little puzzled because the previous time we spoke I had told him about a novel I was writing whose central character was a northern detective called John Marne whose ankle had been crushed by a thieves' get-away car so he would always walk with a limp.

When he asked what had happened to the John Marne novel I explained that I had decided it wasn’t working, that it was no good and that I would be better doing a play. He then produced a copy of The Way -- the book for meditations written by St Josemaría Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei -- which is now a best selling spiritual classic. He showed me Point 42 which says, “Why those variations in your character? When are you going to apply your will to something? Drop that craze for laying corner stones, and finish at least one of your projects.”

The point really went home. I kept thinking about it and realised that of my many unfinished writing projects the detective novel was the nearest to completion. So I sat down and finished it.

I sent it off convinced that it wasn’t good enough, and it was immediately accepted. This led to two other novels and a biography and about eight plays for BBC Saturday Theatre. Many times when I was three quarters through writing them, I wanted to start something else and had to struggle to put the finishing touches to each particular project.

Since then I have met many writers who, when they were three quarters through what they were working on, would decide it was no good. And I would repeat the point in The Way and get them to finish it. A good friend of mine had been commissioned by the BBC to write a television play. One day he rang me to say he couldn’t finish it. It wasn’t working, it wasn’t good. He was going to send the BBC their money back. I took him for a pint and persuaded him to keep the money and finish his play. He did and it was broadcast without need for a rewrite.

I think it only fair to say that the point in St Josemaria’s The Way has not only helped me but also many of my friends and fellow writers.

The New Statesman Lets Members Opus Dei Share their Uplifting Stories

2008-03-25T17:19:00.000-04:00

This week in the New Statesman, a UK paper, the Faith Column will look into the lives of four members of Opus Dei. It begins with Nick Thomas tells how his relationship with God has strengthened as he has grown in his faith. Here goes:

My parents were Anglicans and my earliest memory of praying to God was saying my prayers before going to bed. I remember going to church on Sundays but my two brothers and I were not keen to say the least. Eventually because we were too much to handle we boys stopped going to church altogether and after a while I slipped out of the practice of saying the prayers my mother taught me. My only contact with religion was through the schools I attended. In the school assemblies we would sing hymns and there was usually some talk on an aspect of Christian life. The one I clearly remember was about a Catholic priest who went to live on an island where lepers had been abandoned. He looked after them and eventually caught leprosy himself and died.
When I reached the age of eighteen I was an agnostic. I went to university in London to study Physics at Imperial College. My eldest brother had just finished his History degree at King’s and in his final year he had stayed at Netherhall House, a residence for students. My brother had liked Netherhall and said it was a good place to study. The residence, run by members of Opus Dei, was open to anyone of any faith or none and was more like a family home. After dinner people would have coffee together and there would be a get-together where people would talk about anything and everything.
I found the transition from school to university difficult. The level was very demanding and by the time of my exams I had become quite depressed. One of the chaps living there, a member of Opus Dei, who was a teacher and came from my hometown in the north of England, suggested I should pray about it. He even took me into the chapel of the residence and showed me how to do it. At the time it didn’t appear to have any effect and I didn’t keep it up. But I got through my exams and left Netherhall for the summer vacation. I began to pray and to read about Jesus Christ’s life and his teaching. When I went back to Netherhall to do a PhD in Medical Physics in King’s College Hospital I gradually began to practise my Anglican faith again, helped by the members of Opus Dei at Netherhall and the talks on Christian doctrine given there.
The greatest influence on me at this time was the Mass, which was said every morning in the chapel of the residence. I was overwhelmed by the Catholic teaching of the priest saying the words of the consecration just as Christ said at his Last Supper. “This is my body (…) this is my blood.” The bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. So, when we eat the bread or drink the wine we are eating or drinking the body and blood of Jesus, true God and true man. In the world around me I could see all the efforts and sacrifices people were making to acquire money or material things and yet here in the Mass was this infinitely greater thing: God, my creator and creator of all these material things. And since for Catholics the Mass is also the sacrifice of Calvary, I came to understand that we can offer to God, along with Our Lord’s sacrifice, ourselves and all that we do.
I became a Catholic. The teaching of Opus Dei is that people can become holy through their ordinary lives, so I expect the example of the members of Opus Dei living out their Christian lives also had an effect on me. A year later I joined Opus Dei as a numerary (celibate member). However, since Opus Dei is a family, numeraries still live together as a family.
The founder of Opus Dei, Saint Josemaría Escrivá, used to say that members owed 99% of their vocation to their parents. Mine were a marvellous example to me and my brothers. They had continued to practise their faith (despite our apathy), and they were supportive of me when I decided to become a Catholic. It was a very happy occasion for all of us when they also joined the Catholic Church a few years later.
After my PhD I went into research at King’s College Hospital in Medical Ultrasound and later moved to Guy’s Hospital to work as a clinical scientist in Vascular Ultrasound which involves using ultrasound to diagnose problems with blood flow in the arteries and veins.
I try to go to Mass every day. During Mass I offer to God all that I am going to do that day, the patients I am going to scan, the students I am going to teach, the reports and my research. And I pray for my family, relatives and friends. Whatever may happen that day (good or bad) I offer to Our Lord. The Mass also helps me remember that I am always in the presence of God. This way I try to do my work well for Him. And, whenever there are difficulties, I ask for his help.

Pope speaks to UNIV 2008 students

2008-03-21T17:59:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday March 20th, Pope Benedict received some 4000 students from all over the world. They were part of the UNIV congress sponsored by Opus Dei. Click here for a brief video of the event.

He invited them to be ready to be counter cultural in their witness. Very exciting to be there with such a great pontiff! He seemed to be quite happy, as he invoqued the intercession of Saint Josemaria.

OPUS DEI CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF STATUS

2008-03-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

It was 1982 when Pope John Paul II made the bold move to establish Opus Dei as the world's first Personal Prelature, a juridical status foreseen by the Second Vatican Council. It was clear that he gave this status not as a special privilege or as a source of power, but as means to help Opus Dei serve the Church in accordance with a God-given charism. A lot has happened in these last 25 years, and Church leaders have wanted to reflect on this phenomenon. Here is an article posted in Zenit on March 13, 2008:

Pope John Paul II had a collegial spirit in his work with the Congregation of Bishops, and the Pontiff's establishment of Opus Dei as a personal prelature reflects that, affirmed a retired Vatican official.

Cardinal Julián Herranz, retired president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, affirmed this at a gathering of Church leaders Monday that discussed the apostolic constitution "Ut Sit," with which John Paul II assigned Opus Dei the status of personal prelature in 1982.

Personal prelatures were foreseen by the Second Vatican Council with the goal of favoring the Church's evangelizing dynamism. In a personal prelature, the jurisdiction of a prelate is assigned to a certain group of faithful from one or more dioceses, rather than to a geographical area.

At the meeting Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Benedict XVI's vicar for the Diocese of Rome, thanked Opus Dei "for the service it carries out in favor of dioceses worldwide and in a special way that of Rome," not only because of the roles that some priests of the prelature play in parishes or in other diocesan services, but above all in the striving for holiness and for the apostolate that each of the faithful promotes.
Cardinal Herranz focused his remarks on the preparation of "Ut Sit," explaining how the document shows the "depth and the collegial spirit with which John Paul II followed and directed the work of the Congregation for Bishops."
The current prelate of Opus Dei, Bishop Javier Echevarría, explained that the juridical state of the personal prelature is best suited to the pastoral phenomenon that the founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá, envisioned in 1928, when Opus Dei was founded.

Everyday Christians

The prelate said that Opus Dei "is made up of everyday Christians" working to spread the message "that faith can and must impregnate, from within, all human existence with all its realities: in the first place, the needs of professional work and, in general, family and social life."
By doing this, the prelature can help each person to sew back together the "great gap between faith and our own personal existence made up of work and earthly interests."
Paul O'Callahan, dean of the faculty of theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, said that "the uniqueness of Opus Dei's work with respect to the teaching of the Council, is not found in the newness of its message; it is in the fact that the Work tries to put into practice the Church's mission and to promote its effective realization."
With the creation of the prelature, he continued, "it was not a matter of offering yet another theoretical look at the Council's message or of adding new elements to it, but simply putting it into practice."
The mission of the prelature, O'Callahan said, "simply coincides with that of the Church; its faithful do not change anything, they act. The Work does not have its own doctrine, its own theology. It simply wants to be a small part of the Church."
Today, Opus Dei is made up of 86,000 members throughout the world, including 21 bishops.

Is the Bible mere fiction?

2006-02-16T16:58:00.000-05:00

Most of my blog postings have just been articles collected here and there about Opus Dei in the press. Since I occasionally answer the emails that get sent to our information office, I thought you might like an example of the kind of remark that the Da Vinci Code has provoked, and the answer I gave. Yesterday we got this email from someone:

Dear Sir. I have just started to read your article , printed on the web today. Your opening statement is to the effect that readers of 'The Da Vinci Code' should remember that it is a work of fiction, not substantiated by fact. I respectfully would like to point out that the same can be truthfully said of the Bible, in all its' forms. Very Respectfully,

signed (name)

The emailer was refering to a press release put out by the Information office on February 14th, which can be accessed
here.To which I respectfully responded:

Dear Sir:

Thank you for your comment on your assumption that the Gospels are not historical. The Da Vinci Code has indeed been the occasion of a great podium to discuss such important matters. I am happy to give you the beginning of a response.

As you can imagine, to suggest that the Old Testament, and even more, the Gospels are fictional, would immediately turn the entire system of Christianity into a farce. It is like saying millions upon millions of people over the ages having been deluded by one document. To refuse to accept some of the tenants of Christianity, or doubt the historicity of certain statements of Christ is one thing, but to say that Christ never walked the earth or that the story of his life was invented by someone, is quite another, and indeed very few people have actually sustained it. So if you believe that, very many people throughout history would disagree with you. At least no serious scholars hold this view.

I have tried to understand why the Da Vinci Code phenomena has brought about such a rejection in certain sectors of basic historic events, and especially the validity of the Gospels as historical documents. It is true that the Bible is not a historical document in the same way as a book on the history of Canada might be. The purpose of the Bible is religious, but the basis of any affirmations in the Gospels is that they actually took place in time, and Jesus specifically came “in the fullness of time”.
Bearing in mind that Dan Brown does not quote the Bible once in his novel, I think part of the answer is that it is an new form of anti-Catholicism. There has been anti-Catholicism in the past, centered in Europe through forms of secularism that sought to undo any influence of the Church in society. They were rabidly anti-clerical and heaped abuse on all forms of Catholic authority. The Dan Brown phenomenon is a bit different. It is a north American phenomenon of anti-Catholicism which uses a literary style we might call the "conspiratorial style", and manages to reduce history and its complexity to two or three conspiracies. This is nothing new, and probably started in the 19th century. The conspirators used to be the Jesuits, then there were the Illuminati, now it is Opus Dei. Behind all these conspiracies is also the "arch conspirator", the Vatican, the badest of all the badies. This tradition has the advantage (especially during times of cultural crisis) of simplifying history enormously, or giving simplistic explanations to history. So a guy riding the metro can be reading the Da Vinci Code and think that he has come to understand all history on the basis of these conspiracies. It makes life kind of easy to understand and it can be attractive for those with little real exposure to the Gospels and their meaning.

I suppose I could ramble on defending the historicity of the Gospels. I imagine you would want evidence. I have selected a bit of the following from this site, mainly about the New Testament, but I'd be happy to provide you with more:
The world invisible

I did a quick selection below of some of the texts that address your question.

Thanks for your interest, and feel free to ask any other questions about your readings. I'll try to find the time to answer. You can also browse some of these sites about Opus Dei.

God bless,

Fr. Eric Nicolai
Opus Dei Information Office in Canada

Here is a selection from that website about the Gospels:
The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning. And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt. It is a curious fact that historians have often been much readier to trust the New Testament records than have many theologians.

The Christian Gospel is not primarily a code of ethics or a metaphysical system; it is first and foremost good news, and as such it was proclaimed by its earliest preachers. True, they called Christianity 'The Way' and 'The Life'; but Christianity as a way of life depends upon the acceptance of Christianity as good news. And this good news is intimately bound up with the historical order, for it tells how for the world's redemption God entered into history, the eternal came into time, the kingdom of heaven invaded the realm of earth, in the great events of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. The first recorded words of our Lord's public preaching in Galilee are: 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near; repent and believe the good news."

That Christianity has its roots in history is emphasised in the Church's earliest creeds, which fix the supreme revelation of God at a particular point in time, when 'Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord . . . suffered under Pontius Pilate'. This historical 'onceforallness' of Christianity, which distinguishes it from those religious and philosophical systems which are not specially related to any particular time, makes the reliability of the writings which purport to record this revelation a question of first rate importance.

Harambee 2006 presentation

2006-02-15T20:08:00.000-05:00

"All together for Africa" is the motto of "Harambee," a solidarity project begun in 2002 to commemorate the canonization of the founder of Opus Dei. On February 13, Harambee announced four new African development initiatives.

14 February 2006

Harambee also announced at its press conference in Rome that later this year it will be awarding the second edition of its “Communicating Africa” prize, for television reports that show African development issues in a realistic and positive way.

Harambee 2002 was begun at the canonization of St. Josemaría Escrivá, with the aim of channeling gratitude for the canonization into concrete social outreach to those in need. Since then Harambee has financed 24 African-run projects in 14 African countries.

“All the projects are promoted by local African organizations,” said Linda Corbi, international organizer of the campaign. “Africa will resolve its problems thanks to the Africans. They are already working for the development of the continent, and the only thing they need is a hand to help out.”

Four new projects

At the press conference Harambee announced the beginning of an international fundraising campaign for the following four projects:

1) Sudan: a professional training program for women and youths from South Sudan who have fled the civil war afflicting the country.

2) Kenya: a training program for primary and secondary school faculty.

3) Madagascar: professional training for artisans and their families.

4) Congo: a health service program for women and children in the rural outskirts of Kinshasa.

“The 2006 campaign aims to foster hope in Africans,” said Carlo De Marchi, a Harambee coordinator. “We know that these four projects are only four drops of water in the desert. Nevertheless they are important because they encourage those already working for African development and they are achieving good results.”

The four new projects also aim to offer people a way to respond to Pope Benedict XVI’s call to charity in his recent encyclical “Deus Caritas Est.”

African representatives

Also participating in the press conference were two representatives of projects in Congo and Sudan that will be receiving funds from Harambee 2006.

Patiance Mongo, a nurse in the Monkole Hospital (Kinshasa, Congo) spoke about the efforts they are currently making to offer health care to women and children on the outskirts of the capital. Nearly 500,000 people live in these poor districts, so there is a lot of work to be done. “Mothers are central to the social development of Congo,” she said. “They are the primary ones educating the children, and only with their help will the continent be reborn.”

Sister Liliana Ugolino, a Canosian nun, recounted her experiences in Sudan, where she works on programs for the social and professional development of women. "Over the years,” she said, “I have learned that what helps African women is not so much the education we provide but the encouragement and help we can give them to develop the potential they have within themselves.”

Communicating Africa

The mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni, sent a letter to the Harambee organizers, in which he wrote: “‘Communicating Africa’ is necessary to raise awareness, not hiding Africa’s tragedies, but at the same time praising its richness, which is the patrimony of humanity.”

The philosophy behind Harambee’s “Communicating Africa” prize is that documentary makers “should not hide the problems, but show how Africans are working themselves to resolve them,” said Diego Contreras, prize coordinator.

Harambee is an initiative of ICU, a NGO with headquarters in Rome, which has promoted development projects around the world since 1966.

© 2006, Information Office of Opus Dei on the Internet

When speaking of Opus Dei, forget the rich attack

2006-02-15T19:48:00.000-05:00

One of the most outrageous claims repeated against Opus Dei is that its members are rich - or that it's an organization for the wealthy.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Spero News
Robert Duncan

One of the most outrageous claims repeated against Opus Dei is that its members are rich - or that it's an organization for the wealthy.

I suppose that claim is based on what some people have noted: That many people who are "members" of Opus Dei are professionals. With that observation then there is the somewhat logical assumption that since these people are professionals (read: supposedly high-paying jobs), then that must mean they are rich.

But there is a major fallacy in using any such argument, especially when talking about Supernumeraries: Most of the people who are assuming that Opus Dei members - and here I am really writing about Supernumaries - are rolling in dough forget the simple fact that many of these people have large families. This means that realistically they are scrimping and trying to figure out how to make ends meet. In other words, they are just like many other Catholics who have large families - or for that matter any other large family parents.

Secondly, if a person is offering their all, their skills, their education, to God, there is a pretty good chance that person will rise in whatever profession they practice. Think about this. If you believe that you have something to offer God, are you going to want to offer Him second best? If you want, go ahead and call this - as some people mistakenly claim - a "Calvinist effect."

But the fact is that if you are offering your all to God, you will be concerned about the little things and doing a job well-done. In a general sense, it doesn't matter the occupation, as all can be offered to God, and could be running a laundry, or being a taxi driver, or a journalist, or even an attorney.

And this often leads to a secondary effect: A person that does a job well-done tends to rise in the business world. It's not the reason, nor the drive, but it's the effect of doing a job well-done. And mind you, if that doesn't happen (the social or economic recognition) that is fine - after all this is about offering your work as a means of Sanctification, and this is where an Opus Dei "work ethic" differs from Calvinism and predestination-economic theories.

In this sense, it's a private affair between a person and God. If the recognition comes, well then that is thanks to God, and glory to Him. And if it doesn't, then all the Glory to God too! God in his greatness sees all. This isn't about the individual. This is about what can be offered.

Thirdly, there is a generational effect happening. If parents are Supernumeraries, there is a pretty good chance that they are instilling in their children the belief of doing a job well-done. That doesn't mean all the children will become Opus Dei automatons as some would argue - or members - but it does mean that members may have learned from a young age the importance of studies. At the risk of sounding heretical here, or at least politically incorrect, it reminds me of some studies in the US on second generation Asians that excelled in studies. It was found that this was due to the importance that the parents placed on studies.

And there is something else about having large families, that despite what people think, and Hollywood seems to tell us - most normal families don't have maids, but are struggling to just make it to the end of the month. I don't know how many times I have been asked if we could "loan" our maid for a weekend. I have to explain that we don't have that luxury, and that we don't even make it financially to the end of the month - just like most other large families. Of course, the people asking me this favor are usually parents and colleagues with only one child.

All of this is related to what Saint Josemaria taught. That no matter what wealth a person has, they should use those funds as if they were the parent of a large family. It's about responsibility. It's not yours - it's Gods. The reason St Josemaria said this should be quite obvious - because parents of large families know how to make the money stretch, they know what is important, and what isn't. They become masters of finance, knowing the ins-and-outs of bridge financing, and paying the bills.

Besides, money isn't everything anyway. Somethings are worth much more, no matter how trite that sounds. If somebody asks me "are Supernumeraries rich," the answer is would have to be a guarded "yes," but in the sense that they realize that their families are the Domestic Church.

To explain further. Yesterday was Valentines. On my way home I realized that I didn't have anything for my wife. I checked my pockets and could only find 30 cents. Nothing more - and no, I wasn´t going to break out the VISA card for a gift. Instead, I went to a local candy store and asked if they could sell me three pieces of hard chocolate candy. The number is significant, as I know my wife.

On arriving home, I apologized to my wife that I didn't have anything more for her, but I told her that I loved her, that she was all to me. And gave her the three chocolates and a big hug.

My wife in turn hugged me back, and gave me a kiss, told me that she loved me and that I had made her day. And then she gave the three chocolates to our three oldest children for a dessert (the baby cannot have dessert yet).

Now that is a powerful message that our children learned. It's about love, sharing and being family.

Copyright © 2006 Spero

Da Vinci Code could help Opus Dei

2006-02-15T13:32:00.000-05:00

Ansa.it
Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata
January 31, 2006
Catholic group says bestseller has upped its profile (ANSA) - Rome, January 31 - Opus Dei, the conservative Catholic organisation, says it may eventually benefit from being depicted in spine-chilling terms in Dan Brown's bestseller The Da Vinci Code .
In the hugely popular thriller, a film of which is due out in May, a creepy Opus Dei monk is ordered by his masters to commit murder so that ancient 'truths' about the Christian faith will not be revealed .

Although the organisation wrote a letter of protest to the novel's publisher after its release in 2003, it has not started legal action and appears unwilling to do so, partly so as to avoid feeding controversy. Instead, it is starting to think that The Da Vinci Code - with its thrilling story about a supposed 2,000-year cover-up by the Catholic Church - may even be a blessing in disguise. "Since the book came out, over a million people in the United States alone have contacted our website," said Manuel Sanchez, a press officer at Opus Dei's Rome headquarters. "We have received thousands of messages from people who wanted fuller information on the Catholic Church and Opus Dei." Until recently Opus Dei - which claims to have 84,000 members in five continents - was not very well known in the United States. Now, partly thanks to Dan Brown's fictional work, many more people have at least heard of it .

A film of The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, is to be released by Sony Pictures in May and will presumably make Opus Dei known to even more people .

Sanchez said the visibility has given his organisation a chance to explain what Opus Dei really is. "The fictional work is becoming a channel through which to discover the reality," he added. This reality, he said, was "ordinary Christians who love their families and their work, people who want to serve God and others without leaving the world behind." Opus Dei has worked hard over the years to free itself of the suspicion that has traditionally surrounded it in Europe. Founded in Spain in 1928, it has in the past been accused of secrecy, conservative beliefs, a right-wing political agenda and even cult-like methods .

At the front of his book, Dan Brown included the following definition of Opus Dei: "a deeply devout Catholic sect that has been the topic of recent controversy due to reports of brainwashing, coercion and a dangerous practice known as 'corporal mortification.'" Opus Dei rejects all that, as it also dismisses the book's central idea that Jesus Christ was married and had descendants, and that the Church covered this up in order to preserve male dominance in society .

While this does not look like an advert for the Catholic Church, Sanchez noted that if people read the book or watch the coming film, they will at least be thinking about the figure at the centre of Christianity .

"Talking about Christ is always a good thing, even if it is distressing when he is talked about without respect. In a certain sense, the success of the novel confirms that the figure of Jesus Christ is attractive." He declined to say how Opus Dei might react to the release of the film, saying it depended in part on what it was like. José Maria Escriva de Balaguer, who founded the movement in 1928, was canonised in 2002 by John Paul II. The act set the seal on the Catholic Church's full acceptance of a movement which it had initially distrusted .
It is often said to be a highly influential organisation which has members in top positions both in the Catholic Church and in secular society. Its members say reports of its influence are exaggerated .

© Copyright ANSA. All rights reserved
2006-01-31 18:00

Opus Dei aims to improve its public image ahead of Da Vinci Code movie

2006-02-13T20:51:00.000-05:00

The Montreal Gazette
The Gazette
11 February 2006
By RACHEL ZOLL

NEW YORK (AP) - The entrance to the national headquarters of the Roman Catholic group Opus Dei is the last place you would expect to find mention of The Da Vinci Code.

The conservative organization has spent the last few years trying to escape the bestseller's shadow, after the novel portrayed Opus Dei as a murderous sect with self-mutilating members who are fixated on power.

But now the low-profile spiritual community is starting a drive to improve its image ahead of a major film based on the book - and that campaign begins at the group's front door, where a sign invites fans of the Dan Brown novel to learn about "the real Opus Dei."

"The unfortunate thing is there are going to be tens of millions of people who will read the novel and see the movie and have that be their only exposure to Opus Dei," said Brian Finnerty, a spokesman for the group. "Because the book is marketed as being in some ways factual, it's difficult for people to tell where the lines between fact and fiction are."

The movie, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard, is set for May 19 release and is already expected to be a blockbuster. Opus Dei is trying to counter with its own productions.

Founded in Spain and now with 86,000 lay and clergy members worldwide, the group has commissioned a short documentary that extols the benefits of its emphasis on personal holiness in daily life.

Leaders are also working with American and British TV networks on independent documentaries about the organization to be broadcast around the movie's release. And reporters are being invited to tour the U.S. headquarters, which is a residence for Opus Dei members and a centre for community activities. The organization plans to highlight its charity projects worldwide, including work with young people in poor Chicago neighbourhoods and a wide range of health and communications efforts in Africa.

They have also turned to the Web for help. Among their many postings is a new blog on The Da Vinci Code by a young Opus Dei priest based in Rome. And in a surprising partnership, the group has struck a deal with the same publishing house for the novel - Doubleday - to release The Way, a collection of spiritual thought by Opus Dei founder Josemaria Escriva, considered a key text for the group. Its publishing date is just 10 days before the movie opens.

Finnerty said Opus Dei would not call for a boycott of the Sony Pictures film. Leaders of the community are aware that bitter criticism of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ helped popularize that movie, he said.

"We wouldn't want to do Sony the favour," Finnerty said. He said Opus Dei approached Sony about their concerns, but received only "vague assurances" in response.

Asked about Opus Dei's worries, Sony spokesman Jim Kennedy said the company views The Da Vinci Code as "fiction that is not meant to harm any organization."

Opus Dei's image problems did not begin with Brown's novel and likely will not end with the Howard-Hanks film.

Ever since it was established in 1928, the organization has been controversial within and outside the church. Inside the church, it is unusual for a group to bring together men and women, and lay people and clergy, in one association to spread the gospel.

Outsiders have especially seized on Opus Dei's practice of corporal mortification. About 30 per cent of lay members have taken vows of celibacy, and they wear a small barbed chain around the upper leg - called a cilice - for part of the day as a spiritual discipline. Some ex-members have started opposition groups, such as the Opus Dei Awareness Network, to raise questions about this and other practices by the group.

Secrecy also is an issue: Opus Dei's historic resistance to revealing the names of its members, leaving that decision to individuals, has sparked claims that it is a cult.

Still, Finnerty said the book brought a new level of hostility. His office still receives e-mails and letters related to the book that he characterized as hateful.

Brown says on his website that he worked "very hard to create a fair and balanced depiction of Opus Dei" and denied that his book was anti-Christian. The novel contends that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had children, and that Opus Dei and the church are at the centre of covering it up. An Opus Dei follower commits the murder that sets the plot in motion.

Finnerty said that when the plot was first made public in the trade press, a colleague told him the story line was so silly no one would buy it. Three years and millions of sales later, Opus Dei hopes to turn the notoriety to its advantage.

Said Finnerty: "It's given us a lot of opportunities to talk about who we really are."

Opus Dei, the international Roman Catholic group that zealously adheres to church teaching, says it has long been misunderstood.

They say those misperceptions have taken even stronger hold because of The Da Vinci Code, the bestselling Dan Brown novel that puts the group at the centre of a plot to cover up a marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

A major film based on the book is set for release May 19 and Opus Dei is trying to educate the public ahead of that date about its work and goals. What follows is a look at the organization in question-answer form, based on information from its national office and the book Opus Dei, by Vatican analyst John Allen:

-

Q: Is Opus Dei a religious order like the Jesuits or Franciscans?

A: No. There is no other organization like Opus Dei in the church. The group is made up mostly of lay people, along with a small minority of clergy, and is split almost evenly between men and women. Pope John Paul named it a "personal prelature." Among other things, that means that its leader, a bishop in Rome, has authority over members regarding their work with Opus Dei just as a bishop has authority over a diocese.

Q: What does Opus Dei do?

A: At its most basic, the organization aims to help traditional Catholics grow spiritually. Aspiring members must complete intensive theological training and rigorously observe Catholic ritual in a way that the average parishioner does not.

Q: This sounds similar to training for clergy. How is it different?

A: Lay members of Opus Dei are generally not seeking to become ordained. Josemaria Escriva, who founded Opus Dei in 1928 in Spain, believed that lay people should take a dynamic role in helping spread the gospel within their daily lives and through their secular professions. A majority of Opus Dei members have families and work full time outside of the organization.

Q: What's so controversial about that?

A: The controversies about Opus Dei have more to do with its practices than its message. About 30 per cent of its members take a vow of celibacy, and as part of their spiritual discipline, use corporal mortification. For some time each day, they wear a cilice, a small barbed chain, around their upper leg, partly to remind them of Christ's suffering. Another tool they use during a short prayer is a small twine whip called a "discipline." Some ex-members have questioned the practice. But Opus Dei says these tools have long been used by Christians and are a very small part of their spiritual lives.

Q: How are female members treated?

A: Criticism of women's roles focuses mostly on a category of member called "numerary assistants." These women - about 4,000 members - dedicate their lives to maintaining Opus Dei centres, which means in some cases cooking and cleaning for households of men. However, women hold other Opus Dei jobs where they supervise men. Another practice that has raised questions is the group's strict separation of men and women, including separate entrances in group residences and gender-segregated events and classes. Still, in their everyday lives, Opus Dei members mix with those of the opposite sex.

Q: Who supports Opus Dei?

A: Beyond its 86,000 members worldwide, the group was a favourite of John Paul's, who canonized Escriva, and has drawn support from millions of others who participate in Opus Dei community events, attend their schools and work on their charity projects. However, some ex-members have formed opposition groups, such as the Opus Dei Awareness Network, based in Pittsfield, Mass., and some cardinals and other high-ranking church leaders have expressed concern about how the group operates.

Q: Would I know anyone who belongs to Opus Dei?

A: The group does not generally publicize the names of its members, preferring to allow them to discretely disclose their affiliation on their own. Among their explanations for this approach is that they don't want members to stand out from average people, since their goal is to live out holiness in secular society. However, the practice has led to accusations of secrecy and is viewed by critics as evidence that the organization has something to hide.

Unveiling Opus Dei: An Interview with John L. Allen

2006-02-07T16:37:00.000-05:00

Does Opus Dei deserve the infamy inspired by The Da Vinci Code? Or are they at the forefront of bringing the encounter with God into everyday life? We spoke to acclaimed Vatican journalist John L. Allen Jr. about his book on Opus Dei, and the reality behind the perception.

By John Romanowsky

GODSPY: You once described Opus Dei as a cross between the Jesuits and the Rotary Club. Do you find that people have been surprised or disappointed by your benign portrayal of the infamous Opus Dei?

John L. Allen, Jr.: Opus Dei's most determined critics—which includes a broad swath of people—were surprised and some even outraged. They wish the book had been tougher. On the other hand, I think there's a group of Opus Dei members and their more pietistic supporters who would be disappointed that the book covers so many of the old scandals. But the people who've read my work over the years probably weren't terribly surprised with the approach I took.

In certain circles of Catholic opinion, Opus Dei is the bogey man hiding under the bed of everything that happens.
I'm convinced that, as with most things in the Catholic Church, there's a broad middle out there that doesn't have a particular axe to grind. They're interested in having an account of things that's basically reliable, unbiased, and straightforward. For them, I think the book's been helpful.

Has anyone accused you of simply participating in the Opus Dei conspiracy by writing the book for them as a sort of cover-up?

Oh sure. For example, Damian Thompson, the editor of the Catholic Herald, published a review of my book in the Telegraph. He accused me of being involved in a whitewash. His evidence was that I didn't interview Monsignor Vladimir Felzmann, a well-known English priest, ex-member of Opus Dei, and one of its leading critics in the Anglo-Saxon world. Felzmann has said that Jose Maria Escriva was anti-Semitic. I actually did cover this point in the book, but apparently not enough for Felzmann. In general, he said I dealt with every controversial question by resolving it in favor of Opus Dei.

He's not alone, of course. There are a number of people who have been very critical of Opus Dei and who harbor genuine convictions that it's a dangerous force in Catholicism. They think I didn't go far enough to include critical voices and expose what they think are the dangerous aspects.

What was the single most surprising thing you found while doing your research on Opus Dei?

If you go on LexisNexis and type in "Opus Dei"—you have to add, "and not horses" because there's a race horse called Opus Dei in New Zealand so you get the daily race results—you'll see that there's no organization in modern Catholic history that's generated the kind of public fascination they have.

In certain circles of Catholic opinion, Opus Dei is the bogey man hiding under the bed of everything that happens. Mel Gibson is making this movie on the Passion of Christ? Somehow Opus Dei must be involved. Antonio Scalia is sitting on the Supreme Court? I wonder if he's an Opus Dei member. Vatican Radio's not making enough money and the Jesuits might lose their lease? I wonder if Opus Dei's going to swoop in. Everything. Every issue. You get the impression that they must be this vast, world-wide force with an army of followers and infinite resources.

But when you actually start running the numbers and pealing back the onion, you find that they're not particularly wealthy and certainly not large. They have the membership of the Diocese of Tasmania. In terms of influence, they have 40 bishops out of 4,500 in the world. In the Roman Curia of 2,500 people, they have only 20 and of those 20 only three are in head offices and only one office is at the policy level. They just are not the kind of gargantuan reality that the myth would lead you to believe.

The real story, I think, and the more interesting thing about Opus Dei is less how did it have its tentacles wrapped around the Catholic Church, and more how do you get from this relatively modest and unimpressive reality to the current myth?

What do you think?

The myth of Opus Dei is much more revealing about where things stand in contemporary Catholicism than the reality of Opus Dei.
I think Opus Dei is the perfect storm. First of all, it was born in Franco-era Spain, so it's like there's a penumbra of fascism in its genetic code. Some suspect that somehow it's the last surviving force on earth carrying forward the fascist project. It's true there were some members in Franco's government at one time or another, but he had around 111 different governments over a 36 year period.

Then there's the early rivalry in the early 1940s between Opus Dei and the Jesuits. It started with a turf war over vocations in Spain, not anything ideological or theological. This got swept up into Spanish politics, which is very polarized and tends to spin off into dramatic accusation and counter-accusation. There were accusations that Opus Dei was a group of "White Masons" and Escriva was conducting black Masses, and wild stuff like that. The truth is, if you were going to pick an enemy, I'd really suggest that you don't pick the Jesuits. They have a world-wide network, are very smart, and have the capacity to carry forward a debate with great energy and élan. So the accusations about Opus Dei made the rounds in the Church early and often-and they endured.

Next you have the post-Vatican II polarization in Catholic politics. Opus Dei—without really aspiring to the role—became a leading symbol of what many saw, in the John Paul II years, as a kind of restorationist trend, a rolling back the clock or abandonment of the vision of the Council. It became the love-to-hate figure on the Catholic left. It is the Darth Vader of the liberal Catholic imagination. When you start talking about Opus Dei in certain circles, you can tell people are hearing that Darth Vader theme music, "da, da-da-da da ..." You know.

Finally, there's Opus Dei's close association with John Paul II. This was particularly meaningful in the Anglo-Saxon world in the late 80s when impressions of John Paul were beginning to harden. Since many perceived Opus Dei as his beloved older child, those who felt alienated by the Wojtyla papacy transferred those feelings to Opus Dei.

All these forces wrapped into one have lifted Opus Dei up to a level of myth in Catholic debate that it's actual sociological profile doesn't merit. In many ways, the myth of Opus Dei is much more revealing about where things stand in contemporary Catholicism than the reality of Opus Dei.

Did you receive any specific criticisms on the book that made you change your mind about something, or want to make any revisions?

Nobody came forward to challenge a point of fact. There is one criticism I think is probably right. Unfortunately, I forget who made it. Their point was that in the chapter on politics I didn't deal enough with Opus Dei in Latin America. They were deeply involved in Latin American politics, particularly in the 70s and 80s. That was the era of the police state, liberation theology battles, and ultimately the transformation into democracy. This is probably true. That chapter probably reflects my Anglo-Saxon and, more specifically, American bias, because I tend to deal with Opus Dei's political profile in the developed west.

I did talk about their political history in other places, but did it more to demonstrate the internal political diversity within Opus Dei. The point being that all of the members involved in secular politics aren't necessarily a right-wing fanatics—there's actually a lot of political diversity.

Do you think your book will help inoculate the culture against a sensationalist, negative portrayal of Opus Dei in the upcoming Da Vinci Code movie?

First of all, I haven't noticed any significant decline in sales of the Da Vinci Code book since my book came out...

At this stage, I'm not even sure the movie's going to use the term Opus Dei to describe this group in the story. There have been conversations about this. If you're asking is this going to prevent the myth from replicating itself, I'd say, no. In the short term, once something gets out there in the cultural stratosphere, once it's up there with "Skull and Bones" and the Rosicrucians, it's not going to go away soon.

This is part of a long term evolutionary process, much as it was with the Jesuits in the 16th and 17th centuries. It took a long time for the over-heated, hysterical fears about what the Jesuits are up to—which haven't completely died out, by the way—to go away. I think the Opus Dei myth is going to endure.

I'm convinced that for any conversation to be productive, it has to be rational and based in reality. I do think there's a gradual shift in that direction regarding Opus Dei, but I'm not naïve enough to think that the myth is going to implode over night simply because I plunked this book down on the market.

Has anyone from the Da Vinci Code movie asked you to consult on it?

No. I've been asked to consult on a couple of Opus Dei documentaries, but not the Da Vinci Code movie. Sony's making the movie and I heard they hired Dick McBrien as a kind of theological consultant.

Based on your own personal experience and encounters, what most impressed you about Opus Dei?

The quality of the people. These are very reflective Catholics. For the most part I find them to be really be walking the talk.

The 'talk' of Opus Dei is the sanctification of work, the idea of rendering holy the broader world, transforming secular reality from within.
The "talk" of Opus Dei is the sanctification of work, the rendering holy of the ordinary circumstances of everyday life, no matter what occupation you're in. It's not merely to try to perform at the highest levels of secular excellence. And it's not just for your own personal holiness. It's the idea of rendering holy the broader world, transforming secular reality from within.

For the most part, I found them very conscious of trying to do just that. They're well versed in the details of whatever work they do, but also very intentional and reflective about how to approach this work from the cultural world of the gospel, the cultural world of the Church. To be honest, I just find them fascinating people to talk to.

Was there anyone in particular you remember who embodied this best?

Yes. I would say Margaret Ogola, a married member of Opus Dei ("super numerary") in Kenya. She's a novelist. Her first novel, The River and the Source, won every African literature award there is. It's a marvelous piece of work tracing the story of a Kenyan family and focuses on strong female characters. It's very empowering, but it's not ideologically charged; it's a genuine human story. She's also a dedicated, passionate medical doctor, involved with a hospice for HIV positive children in Kenya. She's also the advisor to the Kenyan bishops on issues of family and health. And in addition to all of this, is a wonderful mother to her children.

When I think how busy she is and how well she does each of these things, and at the same time that she has this peace and focus—it's astonishing. If you take her seriously, she'll tell you that the spiritual and doctrinal formation that Opus Dei offered her is an important component of that.

Are they all like her? No. But many are cut from the same cloth. That's what impressed me the most: the quality of the people and the conversations I had with them all over the world. They're really reflective, thoughtful Catholics trying to bring this full-hearted engagement with secular modernity into relationship with their Catholic identity and figuring out what one has to say to the other.

In your book you seem to suggest that if Opus Dei would let their hair down, and let people see their human side, that this would improve their image. Are they considering your advice?

It depends on who you mean by "they". Opus Dei has 84,000 members. There are some who are very open to that message and were open to it before I said it. Others are much more hesitant about that kind of thing. At the leadership level they understand that they need to be more transparent and become better at telling their own story. The evolution in their press and communications operations and offices in recent decades illustrates that.

But they're still hemmed in by a couple of forces. They have a large group of older members who are very skittish about exposing too much of the inner life of the group to public scrutiny. They have a long history of being scarred by that kind of thing. They think, "They're going to beat us up anyway, so why bother?"

Also, since they understand themselves as a secular enterprise, indistinguishable from ordinary laymen and women in the world, they're often reluctant to talk about themselves. They're afraid it would compromise their secularity. They don't want to be perceived as a religious order or a lay movement. The idea is to be a quiet leaven, hidden in the world, transforming it from within.

Now let's be honest. If their aim is to avoid too much public conversation about themselves, I would suggest that they have seven decades of a pretty poor track record, because there's no group in the Catholic Church that's been the object of more public conversation.

Is it too late for Opus Dei to change their public image?

My argument is that, ironically, if you want to lower your public profile, going public a little bit more would actually be a step in the right direction. You have a climate of fear and mystery out there. The only antidote to that is transparency. As much as that may cut against the grain, I think you just have to take the hit.

You also wrote that fears of Opus Dei often tend to redound back on the Catholic Church. Why is that?

...the defects and virtues of Opus Dei tend to become wildly exaggerated.
No group in the Catholic Church is accountable to itself. We're all part of the greater communio. Since officialdom so clearly embraced and approved Opus Dei and brought it into the mainstream, perceptions of them, ipso facto, become perceptions of the Catholic Church. If the public think there's this nefarious cult-like outfit metastasizing in the heart of the Church, it becomes an obstacle and question mark about the whole Church. So even though Opus Dei's self-understanding and spirit may militate against transparency, my argument would be that that's not an answer.

Much of your constructive criticism of Opus Dei—including the "seven sins" (p. 386) that Opus Dei members themselves speak about—seem like they could be applied to other movements (yes, they're not a movement) in the Catholic Church. Do you agree?

Well, if we're going to talk about new groups in the Church in general, yes, of course. It has always been thus. Criticisms like that could have been made of the Jesuits in the 16th century, the Dominicans in the 15th, or the Benedictine's in the 5th. Whenever there's a new burst of life in the Church it is surrounded by great enthusiasm and passion, which sometimes can shade off into a kind of arrogance, or this idea that we've now surpassed everything that went before so the future is with us. Also, you often you get a strong cult of personality around the founder and a certain hyper defensiveness about criticism. The Church is by definition a conservative institution. There's always this period of sifting and discernment that goes on before it's willing to embrace something new. That can be said about a lot of different groups. But no other groups have achieved the kind of mythic status in the public imagination, either inside or outside the Catholic Church, so the defects and virtues of Opus Dei tend to become wildly exaggerated.

You seem to have had many positive experiences during your time with Opus Dei. But, of course, you didn't join up. Why not?

I'd love to tell you that I achieved some noble spiritual insight that this was not my spiritual path, but basically it's the psychology of being an only child. I grew up having pretty much complete control over my own time and space. I just don't like somebody else organizing my day. I like to decide for myself. Opus Dei is one of those environments where there's a pretty thick level of structure. Not that people are under somebody's thumb all the time. But particularly with those who live in community, the "numeraries", there is a clear set of expectations of when you're going to be at Mass in the morning and so on. There's nothing wrong with that and there's a lot that's very healthy about it. But it's too much structure for me. I'm not cut out that way. Also, I couldn't join any of these groups because I'd be accused of having a partisan position. But even if this wasn't the case, I wouldn't join up because it's not my cup of tea.

Your objectivity, and your refusal to tip your hand about your own opinions on Catholic issues has been called "maddening." Would someone given access to your private thoughts about the Church be surprised?

They'd probably be surprised about how few of them I've got. The truth is that the closer I get to a subject, the more difficult for me to draw definitive conclusions about it. There's this old saying that a foreign correspondent, after six months in a new country, wants to write a book about it; but after six years, he's afraid even to write one article. You just know too much. You know that every sentence you write is going to be an exercise in sweeping over-generalization.

I think that's true of the Church as well. I don't know if we ought to ordain women or not. I don't know whether our current approach to the dialogue with Islam ought to be tougher or not. I can see good arguments on all sides of these questions. Really, honest to God, it's not that I'm hiding a set of a priorities about where the Church ought to go. Or that I'm reluctant from some kind of craven personal interest to reveal my views. I'm not saying I don't have views on particular questions. But on most of the hot button questions that we spend so much time talking about in the Church, I don't have a fixed conclusion.

How do you see your role own role in these debates?

I'd phrase it this way. In the classic Thomistic understanding of how we know anything, you have a three stage process. There's sensory experience, taking in reality. Then there's the analysis, making sense of that reality. Then you draw conclusions and decide what to do in response. The nature of modernity, given the acceleration, pace, and bombardment of information, is constantly pressuring us to skip that second step. People want to move immediately from experience to conclusion because they don't have time to think. Even if we did have time, there's far too much information to take it. Where do you stop?

That's all very understandable, but what it means is that we're often operating out of ideological presuppositions and gut instinct, rather than a patient reflection on reality. The more aware of that I become, the more I'm sold on the idea that somebody needs to try to provide tools for reflection without preconditioning the outcome of that reflection. To the extent that I have a role to play in the Catholic conversation, I guess that's it.

The number of people who are dissatisfied with the liberal/conservative divide in the Church seems to be growing. Have you seen this trend yourself, and if so, what do you make of it?

Yes. In fact, I'm kicking around the idea for a book that looks at exactly that, up-and-coming leaders in the Catholic conversation who are trying to think past the divides of history. I think it's a much larger and widely spread phenomenon than people realize because it's not quite visible, we don't have a face for it yet. There's no movement or charismatic leader to embody that instinct yet. But I think both will arrive.

This book is a test case for dialogue in a divided Church.
At the same time, I think we're still far too divided. Perhaps the more sociologically accurate thing to say is that we've got multiple, co-existing "catholicisms". When you look around at the Catholic scene, you see that you've got your traditionalist-liturgical Catholics, your social justice Catholics, your charismatic Catholics, your neo-conservative, intellectual Catholics, your Church reform Catholics, and others. They all speak their own language, go to their own meetings, read their own publications, think their own thoughts. If they ever pop their head up above the walls to look at somebody in another circle, it's often not with a genuine interest in the thought of the other. It's with what you might call a "hermeneutic of suspicion". "I'm not really sure where this person is coming from and I'm not really sure if we're on the same team."

It's tragic that American Catholics spent the first part of the 20th century crawling out of the ghetto imposed on us by a hostile Protestant majority, but that now we've constructed our own ghettos. They're defined not by denominational boundaries, but by ideological ones. This isn't just distasteful on an aesthetic level, but ecclesiologically it's deeply unsatisfactory. We're supposed to be a community of communities—that's what communio ecclesiology is, to which John Paul II and Benedict XVI have been so valiantly trying to call us.

Do you see any practical way the Church in America can move forward to overcome this?

My great hope for this problem of division is the emergence of the former phenomenon we talked about. You can look around and see enough people who are aware of this reality and who are dissatisfied and frustrated with it. They're trying to grope their way forward. One of the challenges is to try to build spaces, and by spaces I mean not just physical spaces, but also virtual spaces where Catholics of different temperaments and points of view can come and engage each other, such as your own GodSpy, as well as others.

You've written that your personal encounters with Ratzinger, and your experience in Rome, changed your perspective on the Church. Can you describe that change?

Ratzinger had this image of the bull in the China Shop, the tough authoritarian. There's this story about John XXIII coming out on his balcony to speak to the people off the cuff. He told the Romans to go home that night and kiss their children and tell them it's from the Pope. For the Romans, that speech was like a "Ask not what your country can do for you" kind of speech. No one forgot it. Well, when Ratzinger was elected pope, the Roman newspaper, L'Unita, ran a cartoon with Pope Benedict XVI on his balcony saying to the people, "Go home tonight and give your children a spanking and tell them it's from the Pope."

However, when you meet the man in person, you realize that's just not who he is. I don't want to cut off legitimate public debate about his policy decisions or theological conclusions. But to jump from that to saying the guy's a jerk is just unfair, to say nothing of untrue. In person, he's infinitely gracious, kind, surprisingly open and collegiate and very humble. We've seen this in how he's conducted himself as pope. He's engaged in this almost systematic deconstruction of the cult of personality around the papacy.

And your experience of living and working in Rome?

Rome is the privileged place to get a sense of the complexity of the universal Church. It is such a cross-roads with its pontifical universities, religious communities, the whole diplomatic scene. A typical day for me might be having breakfast with a bishop from Pakistan, lunch with some colleagues from Chile, and then an evening with German speaking Catholics at the Austrian Embassy.

One story that illustrates the complexity of the Church: Around a week after the document "Dominus Iesus" came out, there was a conference of seminary rectors from around the world. At the seminar they had a session on "Dominus Iesus". A guy from India gets up and says the document is a disaster because it's going to destroy their dialogue with Hinduism. The Hindus don't understand such exclusive language. The next guy who pops up is from the St. Petersburg seminary in Russia. He says, no, you've got it all wrong. This document's going to save our dialogue with the Orthodox, because they have an even higher Christology than we do and it's the first Vatican document in a generation they've got excited about.

Now, was one right and the other wrong? No. Both were accurately reflecting their own cultural circumstances. The same document, filtered through two different sets of circumstances, gives you two completely diametrically opposed reactions. Now you multiply that a hundred thousand times across the globe, and you'll have some sense of the complexity of trying to set policy for a global Church.

Was this what led to a change in your own perspective?

What I hope my six years in Rome have given me is a greater capacity to see the shades of grey between the black and white. I think I realize now all the different forces that have to come into play to try to resolve questions one way or the other.

To bring this back to Ratzinger, my first book about him was good at giving a critical perspective of his work. This is entirely legitimate, necessary and valuable, but in the end it left a lot to be desired in terms of balance. There are many considerations, ways of shaping, understanding and perceiving the his decisions that I simply was not in a position to appreciate sitting in a study in Kansas City. Six years of water under the bridge in Rome have broadened my perspective.

Why is it so much harder for American Catholics to live in the radical center of the Church, as people elsewhere seem to be able to do?

I wouldn't romanticize what people elsewhere are able to do. I think to some extent the same divisive tendencies and mutual suspicion exist in other places.

First of all, we're a big Church, the fourth largest Catholic community in the world. (Though it's worth reminding Americans that there are bigger Catholic communities out there and the Vatican has more to think about than our concerns.) Our size in itself imposes a certain artificiality on our relationships. We don't have the capacity to get to know one another personally as much as small Catholic communities do. We tend to relate to one another through the press and other indirect avenues which makes human relationship difficult. It's easier to perceive people through stereotypes, because you never actually have to confront the stereotype with an actual encounter with the other.

Another factor is that we're a nation of rugged individualists to begin with, so this concept of being part of a community and being willing to bracket off our own instincts, own views, in order to be part of the larger community, that's a tough sell for a lot of Americans.

We also have a very noisy and rambunctious press culture in the States that has given us models of dialogue that aren't terribly healthy. How many people think that debate is like Crossfire, the search for zingers? I don't think that helps.

Unlike most places, we as American Catholics have the resources to construct such things as separate media empires and educational structures—like Tom Monaghan's empire—and thank God we do, it's a wonderful thing—but the downside means that we can insulate ourselves from each other in a way that many other Catholic cultures are not able to do.

What do you see as the greatest challenge for the Church in the United States?

The central challenge facing American Catholicism is to live a genuine ecclesiology of communion. We need a much more profound sense of what it means to be inserted into a global family of faith. The Catholic Church is made up of 1.1 billion members scattered in every nook and cranny of the planet. Increasingly the action is going to be in the global south. I think Nairobi, Jakarta, and Buenos Ares will be what Paris and Milan were in earlier centuries of Church history in terms of intellectual energy and pastoral imagination.

As the leadership and energy of the Church comes from these regions of the world, it's going to mean that people pressing for reforms on certain issues here will feel themselves increasingly isolated. Now, the gut check for many American Catholics is: What does it mean to be living in a Catholic Church, in which, at least on sets of issues, it seems increasingly likely that your vision of where the Church ought to go is not going to carry the day? Are you willing to accept that as the price of admission for having a place at this family's table? And I wonder about that.

The second major challenge is overcoming this ghetto-like American Catholic life. As wonderful a gift to American Catholic discussion as things like Commonweal or First Things or EWTN are, I think the danger is when any one thing becomes someone's exclusive point of reference. I think we should be reading and observing all of these things. I think that's the sensibility we have to construct.

Is that why partly why you decided to write this book?

Yes. My belief is that while there are many subjects on which Catholics are polarized, few subjects polarize as much as Opus Dei does. It's very hard to find anyone who follows Catholic affairs who doesn't have strong opinions about it. My hunch was, if we can have patient, rational, sympathetic conversation about this, we can have one about anything. In that sense, this book is a test case for dialogue in a divided Church.

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December 22, 2005

JOHN ROMANOWSKY is executive editor of
Godspy
Godspy.

Catholic Group Says of 'Da Vinci Code' Film: It's Just Fiction

2006-02-07T13:42:00.000-05:00

New York Times
Laurie Goodstein
February 7, 2006

When "The Da Vinci Code" became a publishing sensation, leaders of the Roman Catholic organization Opus Dei realized they had an image problem on their hands.
The assassin in the best-selling thriller is an albino Opus Dei monk named Silas, and the group is depicted as a powerful but secretive cult whose members practice ritualistic self-torture. In a preface titled "Fact," the author, Dan Brown, said his book was more than mere fiction.

When plans were revealed for a movie based on the book, Opus Dei leaders say they tried to persuade Sony Pictures to excise any mention of their group, sending a letter last year saying the book was "a gross distortion and a grave injustice."

Their effort failed.

With the film starring Tom Hanks now set for release on May 19, Opus Dei is trying to sate public interest and cast the group in a very different light than the religious home of a fictional assassin.

The group is promoting a blog by an Opus Dei priest in Rome, revamping its Web site and even arranging interviews with a member said to be the only "real Silas" in Opus Dei — a Nigerian-born stockbroker who lives in Brooklyn.

Silas Agbim, the stockbroker, said that Opus Dei taught its members to hold themselves to the highest standards. "If you do your work well, it's pleasing to God," said Mr. Agbim, a graying father of three grown children who is married to a professor emeritus of library science. "And if you think you will get holy by reciting 10 rosaries a day and doing your work sloppily, that is wrong."

Still, the "Da Vinci Code" movie is sure to revive a long-simmering debate among Catholics over whether Opus Dei is a positive or negative influence in the church. Critics say that while the group is relatively small, a few members seem to hold important positions in the Vatican, including the pope's chief spokesman.

Questions about whether Opus Dei has outsize influence grew when Pope John Paul II granted the group a unique status in the church in 1982, and 10 years later set the group's founder on an unusually speedy track to sainthood.

Opus Dei's reputation for secrecy developed partly because of the group's tradition that members should not publicly proclaim their affiliation. "Is he or isn't he Opus Dei?" guessing games have focused on prominent figures, particularly in Washington.

A controversy exploded last year in England when it surfaced that Ruth Kelly, the young new secretary of education in the liberal Labor Party, was affiliated with Opus Dei. She did not deny it but never clarified her status with the group, prompting even louder criticism. Robert P. Hanssen, an F.B.I. agent who pleaded guilty in 2001 to spying for the Soviet Union, confirmed that he was a member and acknowledged that he had confided his crimes to his priest.

Opus Dei leaders say they are neither secretive, nor particularly powerful, nor lockstep conservatives. They say the group is a decentralized network of more than 84,541 Catholic lay people and 1,875 priests around the world, relatively small numbers in a church of 1.1 billion.

They say they have no aspirations to control the Vatican and believe their calling is to live out their devotion to God by doing their jobs well, be it janitor, senator or full-time mother. Opus Dei is Latin for "the work of God."

Lynn Frank, an Opus Dei member in Walden, N.Y., mother of seven and the owner-entrepreneur of a business that promotes healthful eating, said: "The determination I have definitely comes from my vocation with Opus Dei, because every single day with Opus Dei, you wake up and say, 'I'm giving 100 percent of my day to you, Lord.' And if you slack off, that's a boss you don't want to answer to."

Since its founding in 1928 by a Spanish priest,
Josemaria Escriva
, the group has found favor with several popes, in particular John Paul II, whose theological emphasis on holiness, the importance of the family and the dignity of work meshed well with Father Escrivá's beliefs. In 1982, John Paul granted Opus Dei the status of a "personal prelature," and it remains the only one in the church, meaning that it has its own bishop who reports directly to the pope.

Then in 1992, Father Escrivá leapfrogged other candidates for sainthood and was beatified a mere 17 years after his death. He was canonized a saint in 2002.

Joaquín Navarro-Valls, a spokesman for John Paul and now for Pope Benedict XVI, is a member, as was one of the co-authors of a controversial Vatican document released in 2000, Dominus Iesus, on the primacy of Christianity. When the pope wanted to clean up an Austrian diocese where pornography was found on a seminary computer, he appointed a new bishop from Opus Dei.

Also feeding the impression of influence is Opus Dei's American headquarters, in New York, a 17-story building at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 34th Street on which the group spent $69 million for the property, construction and furnishing.

Mention of the location in "The Da Vinci Code" has brought a constant stream of the curious and conspiratorial to the door, said the doorman, Robert A. Boone. He says he tells them, "You think I'd be working here if there were people like Silas walking around?"

Some Opus Dei members are incensed about how the three-year-old best seller presents not only Opus Dei, but also Christianity. In "The Da Vinci Code," a pair of sleuthing heroes discover that the doctrine of Jesus' divinity was made up by the fourth-century Roman Emperor Constantine, and that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children.

Mr. Agbim said he had read the book. "It is poison," he said. "It will lead the people to have doubts."

But Opus Dei leaders are taking a less confrontational approach. Opus Dei's United States leader, the Rev. Thomas G. Bohlin, said, "We don't want the controversy to pump up publicity for the movie." Father Bohlin sent the letter to Sony Pictures asking that Opus Dei be left out of the movie and said he had received a "polite but noncommittal" response.

Jim Kennedy, a spokesman for Sony Pictures, said: "We see 'The Da Vinci Code' as a work of fiction and not intended to harm any organization. At its heart the film is a thriller, and we do agree that it really provides a unique opportunity for Opus Dei and other organizations to let people know more about their work and their beliefs."

After researching Opus Dei for a book,
John L. Allen, the Vatican correspondent for The National Catholic Reporter, has concluded that its power and wealth have been largely exaggerated. The group's worldwide membership is about equivalent to the number of Catholics in the Diocese of Hobart on the island of Tasmania, Mr. Allen said.

Opus Dei keeps no central financial records, but Mr. Allen determined its assets to be $2.8 billion, a figure the group's spokesmen say appears accurate. Much of that is tied up in the schools and hospitals worldwide. Half of the expense for the New York headquarters was paid for by a single donation of stock, said Brian Finnerty, a spokesman.

"Opus Dei certainly is a growing force in church affairs, and they probably have a very disproportionate number of those church positions that have impact, but let's not mythologize that," said Mr. Allen, author of "Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church."

Some former members accuse Opus Dei of behaving like a cult, with aggressive recruiting and excessive control over members who choose to live in Opus Dei centers. Tammy DiNicola, who joined Opus Dei as a college student and left in 1990 after two years, said the organization pulled in idealistic and very spiritual people by deceiving them.

"They don't tell you you wouldn't spend any holidays with your family, your mail would be read, you would hand over your salary to them, and you wouldn't be able to watch television or radio or even leave the house without permission," said Ms. DiNicola, who helped found the Opus Dei Awareness Network to help former members.

Mr. Finnerty, the Opus Dei spokesman, said that contrary to accusations by some former members, independence and personal freedom were central to the doctrine.

Seventy percent of Opus Dei's members, like Lynn Frank and Silas Agbim, are working people, usually married, who live in their own homes, a category of membership known as "supernumerary." Although they maintain a rigorous schedule of daily prayer and reading, weekly confession and meetings with a spiritual director, they carry on with their lives and professions.

About 20 percent are "numeraries," who give their lives entirely to the organization, living as celibates in an Opus Dei center. Some hold outside jobs, but many work full time in affiliated institutions, like hospitals and schools. Ten percent are "associates," who are celibate but live on their own and not in Opus Dei centers.

Much of the eerie mystique surrounding Opus Dei comes from the numeraries' practice of "corporal mortification." In "The Da Vinci Code," Silas the murderous monk is shown whipping himself bloody and wearing a spiked chain around his thigh so tightly that it draws blood.

In reality, numeraries do wear a "cilice," a chain with points, under their pants for two hours a day. Once a week, they beat their backs with a small cord while reciting a prayer. Opus Dei says corporal mortification is an ancient Catholic practice that promotes penance and identification with the suffering of Christ.

Ms. DiNicola, the former member, said that wearing the cilice was supposed to be optional but that numerary members were made to feel guilty if they did not. "It does cut and it does leave little blood pricks," she said.

Despite the dismal portrayal of their group in "The Da Vinci Code," Opus Dei leaders acknowledge some benefits from the attention. Doubleday, the publisher of the book, is about to release "The Way," a collection of spiritual writing by Opus Dei's founder. Mr. Finnerty, the group's spokesman, said it was "The Da Vinci Code" that opened the door for the deal.

Tuesdays with Glenwood: The Big Picture Seminar

2006-01-19T09:54:00.000-05:00

By Kevin Te, Special to The B.C. Catholic
The BC Catholic (Vancouver, BC)
November 21, 2005.

Tuesdays will never be the same for the 21 Grade 9 and 10 students currently attending the Big Picture Seminar at Glenwood, a centre located at 4050 Osler Street in Vancouver that helps with both the human and spiritual formation of young men.
Glenwood helps high school and university students work towards becoming competent, generous, and responsible men who understand that professionalism and excellence are best directed to serving society. One of the programs it has been offering for the past four years is the Big Picture Seminar, held every Tuesday from September to May, 7 to 8 p.m.
"The purpose of the Big Picture Seminar is to help students in Grade 9 realize the challenges that they are going to face very soon," said Mario Jardon, the Director of Glenwood and the Co-ordinator of the Big Picture Seminar.
Participants listen to talks and attend workshops by people with more life experience. This helps them to prepare for the personal choices they will face about such issues as family and career.
The program is offered mainly to students entering Grade 9; however, in some cases it accepts Grade 8 and 10 students. Jardon said Grade 9 students are at a very critical age, and they are mature enough to understand the content of the program. The Big Picture Seminar is only for boys, but there is another centre that offers a similar program for girls.
Other cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec, have centres offering the same program. In Greater Vancouver, however, only Glenwood has the Big Picture Seminar. Jardon said that there have been some requests about starting one in Surrey, but they are still studying that possibility.
The cost of the seminar is $150. Interested parents and participants can either apply online or go to the centre. Potential members are interviewed to make sure they really want to be involved in the program.
"It makes a big difference if the young man himself wants to participate in the program, rather than his parents wanting him to attend," said Jardon.
He also said that although there is no official closure of registration, he advises interested people at this late date to register for next year's seminar, so that they will be able to grasp fully the speakers' message.
Christopher Elvidge, a Grade 12 student who attended the program three years ago, said, "I think it (the Big Picture Seminar) is great because they tell you how to get jobs, how to get ahead, and how to prepare for university and life in general."
He said he does not regret participating in the program because once a student takes part, he will be invited to the other activities Glenwood offers, such as retreats, volunteer works, and daily excursions such as mountain climbing and canoeing.
His father, David Elvidge, is so pleased with the effect of the program on Christopher that he now has his younger son attending the Big Picture Seminar. David, who usually stays and listens to the talks himself, said the speakers are teaching the same values he is trying to instil in his children.
He sees this reinforcement of values by non-parents as a benefit of the Big Picture Seminar, and he is happy that the seminar makes participants start thinking about important issues when they are in Grade 9 rather than in the last month of Grade 12.
"It has been worth the effort, from this family's perspective, to provide this additional learning opportunity for the boys," David said.
Despite all the sacrifices they have to make, he still believes that all of it is worthwhile because of the intangible values his sons will gain from this experience.
Jardon added that the people involved in Glenwood are very optimistic about the outcome of the program. They believe that the Big Picture Seminar is a good way to grow. "We care for the formation of young people," he said.
Formation activities at Glenwood are entrusted to Opus Dei, which was founded in 1928 by St. Josemaria Escriva. Opus Dei is an institution of the Catholic Church with the mission of spreading the message that all are called by God to seek holiness in and through their daily work, family life, and social relations.
For more information, visit www.glenweb.ca.
Kevin Te is a Corpus Christi College communications student.

Journalist John Allen on Opus Dei

2006-01-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Vatican-Watcher's Book Goes Beyond the Myths

ROME, DEC. 25, 2005 (Zenit.org).- In a new book on Opus Dei, an American journalist tries to separate facts from fiction about the personal prelature. The volume is entitled "Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church." In his research for the book, reporter John Allen of the U.S.-based National Catholic Reporter dedicated a year to interview members of Opus Dei in Italy, Spain, Kenya, the United States and Peru, among other countries. The author also talked with former Opus Dei members. The result is 400 pages in which this Vatican correspondent, who also works with the BBC and CNN, touches on topics ranging from the separation of men and women, to the use of the hair shirt, to the organization's finances.

The book has been published in the United States by Doubleday and in England by Penguin.

Q: So ... Opus Dei is not as bad as it seemed, you state. Is this the general idea of your book?

Allen: The aim of my book is to be as objective as possible, on a subject that's not really known for attracting objective discussion. The idea is to separate fact from fiction, providing tools for a rational conversation that's grounded in reality rather than myth or stereotype.

It was not my intent to "convert" readers to any particular position about Opus Dei, and my experience is that most people come away from the book without having changed their fundamental impressions of the group, but perhaps feeling a bit more informed, and a bit less alarmed.

On the other hand, given the highly negative image Opus Dei carries in some quarters, any serious comparison of that image with reality inevitably will make the group seem more human, less nefarious, than some had previously believed.

To take the basic numbers, Opus Dei has a worldwide membership of 85,000, which is roughly equivalent to the Diocese of Hobart on the island of Tasmania off the Australian coast. The group also counts some 164,000 "cooperators," meaning "supporters."

Outside Spain, where Opus Dei was born in 1928, Opus Dei represents a tiny, almost invisible, fraction of the Catholic community; in the United States, for example, there are roughly 3,000 members out of a total Catholic population of 67 million.

Opus Dei's global wealth, meaning the physical value of all the assets listed as "corporate works" of Opus Dei, is around $2.8 billion. For one frame of comparison, General Motors in 2003 reported assets of $455 billion.

Even by Catholic standards, Opus Dei's wealth is not terribly impressive; in 2003, the Archdiocese of Chicago reported assets of $2.5 billion. The American lay organization the Knights of Columbus runs an insurance program which all by itself is worth $6 billion. In terms of power, Opus Dei numbers only 40 out of more than 4,500 Catholic bishops worldwide, including only two members of the College of Cardinals, and just 20 out of more than 2,500 employees in the Roman Curia, including only one head of a policy-making agency.

In truth, Opus Dei's potential to "call the shots" inside Catholicism is far more limited than many imagine. For every Vatican battle Opus Dei members have won over the years, they've lost others. Despite being a vaunted recruiting machine, Opus Dei's growth rate is pretty small. Worldwide they add about 650 members a year, and in some places they're basically stalled. In the United States, Opus Dei has hovered at about 3,000 members since the 1980s. All this suggests that Opus Dei is not as imposing as some of the mythology would lead one to believe. Ironically, the people most determined to believe in Opus Dei's occult power are generally not its members, but its critics, who see its modest structure as masking vast unseen influence.

Q: Money, power, mortification, "Octopus Dei" ... most of your book tries to "purify" the whole mystery around Opus Dei. Do you think you have achieved this clarification?

Allen: I'm not naive enough to believe that prejudices and conspiracy theories that have formed over 70 years are going to collapse overnight because of this book. What I hope, however, is that the factual information provided in the book, much of it for the first time, will represent a point of departure for future discussion.

There's a legitimate debate to be had about some aspects of Opus Dei's internal culture and practice, and in my experience it's a conversation happening, in the first place, inside Opus Dei itself. The question of how Opus Dei could make itself more transparent without compromising its own identity, for example, is a completely reasonable point to press. Opus Dei must increasingly realize that it is responsible not only to itself and the memory of St. Josemaría Escrivá, but to the broader Catholic Church, and hence should do anything in its power to respond to legitimate questions and doubts.

At the same time, Opus Dei has also been a magnet for some of the wildest accusations and speculation over the years, and I hope the book will help to clear up those distractions so a more productive discussion can move forward.

Q: Reading you, it appears that Opus Dei has not as much power or influence as it seems. Why then this controversy and mysterious aura around them?

Allen: To me, this is the greatest single question about Opus Dei: How did this relatively small group, with only modest wealth and influence, become the bogeyman of the Catholic imagination? I think the answer is complex, pivoting on at least four factors:

One, Opus Dei grew up in Franco-era Spain, and hence has long been linked to Spanish fascism. Two, Opus Dei and the Jesuits engaged in fierce "border wars" over young vocations in Spain in the 1930s and 1940s, generating a rivalry which followed Opus Dei wherever it went because of the Jesuits' extensive worldwide network. Three, in the post-Vatican II era, Opus Dei became a symbol of the broader struggles within Catholicism between left and right. Four, in the John Paul II era, Opus Dei received considerable papal favor, generating envy in some quarters and ideological opposition in others. In other words, Opus Dei represents a sort of "perfect storm," where a combination of historical and political factors collided to invest this group with a mythic status that its actual sociological profile doesn't support.

Q: If I were from Opus Dei I would surely thank you for your book. Have you received lots of messages in these terms?

Allen: I've heard from a number of Opus Dei members who are grateful for what they see as the relatively balanced treatment they believe the group received in the book.

Others, however, are unhappy with what they see as excessive focus on the controversies surrounding Opus Dei. They feel as if Opus Dei is their family, and it's always painful to hear accusations against loved ones, even if they're given the most balanced treatment in the world. I would say, by the way, I've received much the same reaction from Opus Dei critics. Some feel the book gave fair voice to their concerns, while others, convinced that Opus Dei is dangerous, feel as if I didn't go nearly far enough in "exposing" its flaws. This reaction illustrates the unfortunately polarized nature of much discussion about Opus Dei.

Q: You think you do not fit into the Opus Dei structure. Do you realize it now, after your research, or you already knew it?

Allen: As a journalist, I don't join groups within the Church as a matter of general principle, because I need to preserve my impartiality.

For that reason, there was never any serious question of my joining Opus Dei, or any other body. Certainly my 300-plus hours of interviews and travels to eight countries for this book, however, brought home for me that if I were to join a Catholic group, it would not be Opus Dei. This is not the result of any lack of respect, or any fears about Opus Dei; quite the contrary, I came to admire most of the people I met in Opus Dei, and I usually found their company highly stimulating and enjoyable. Yet there is a daily "program of life" for Opus Dei members, and a set of expectations about attendance at events and so on, that I would personally find stifling. I'm a classic "only child," meaning that control over my time and space is important to me. I don't like anyone setting schedules for me, or telling me when I need to pray, or how. Let me be clear, however, that this is a matter of personal taste. I admire the commitment I see in most Opus Dei members, and my perception is that most are eminently satisfied with their experiences.
ZE05122522
Opus Dei on John Allen's New Book
We're "Neither Angels nor Demons," Says Spokesman
ROME, DEC. 25, 2005 (Zenit.org).- An Opus Dei spokesman has expressed satisfaction with a new book on the personal prelature written by an American journalist. Marc Carroggio, who oversees Opus Dei's relationship with international journalists in Rome, said he was satisfied with the book just published by John Allen. "Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church" has been published so far in English, Portuguese and Korean. Carroggio told ZENIT that this is the first book that compares dispassionately the myths and reality surrounding "the Work," as it's called by Opus Dei members. "The author has understood well the nature of Opus Dei," Carroggio said.

Q: You must be happy since this book clears up many issues about Opus Dei.

Carroggio: I worked in the Rome press office while John Allen was writing this book. I can say that I am satisfied with it, especially with respect to its method. Allen spent hundreds of hours gathering a great deal of information and views from all sorts of people. He places all this information in its proper context, and so gives the rationale for many ways of doing things. He has listened to both sides and been respectful to both. Finally, he leaves the readers to reach their own conclusions. These are desirable qualities for a book of this kind. The issues it deals with do not easily lend themselves to dialogue or dispassionate discussion. Hence, any attempt to clear away false stereotypes is positive. I do not like comparisons, but I should point out that the author of "The Da Vinci Code" never visited a center of Opus Dei and, as far as I know, never spoke to any members. The picture of Opus Dei presented in the novel is a figment of his imagination.

I think that John Allen's work can help readers of "The Da Vinci Code" who have no firsthand knowledge of Opus Dei to understand that we are neither angels nor demons. We are human beings with flesh and blood, who are sometimes wrong and sometimes right, who have faults but also want enthusiastically to follow an ideal.

Q: As he explains, the author had access to documents that are not available to the general public. He spent time in centers of numeraries, he interviewed dozens of members of the Work and he has absorbed what it means "to be in Opus Dei." In your view, what more would he need to understand Opus Dei better?

Carroggio: I think that the author has understood Opus Dei well: the nature of its message, the reasons for the things it encourages people to do, its members' mode of life, our ideals and also where we fall short.

This book is a journalist's report, not a dissertation in theology or a treatise on the history of the Church. Its approach is sociological, although it also acknowledges and respects the spiritual dimension of things.

Allen himself says that he does not intend to give an exhaustive account of Opus Dei but rather to compare myths with reality. As a consequence, he devotes a lot of space to matters that are actually fairly secondary in the life of Opus Dei but which have received a lot of attention from the media, especially in the United States.

So, for example, one could say a lot more about the spiritual experience of belonging to Opus Dei and about the inner motivation that leads persons to choose this path in their search for holiness in the middle of the world. This would entail a larger treatment of each person's awareness of his or her own Christian vocation as well as persons' desire to follow Jesus Christ in their work, in their family and in their daily life. For an institution in the Church, the personal and existential dimensions are more important than organizational charts or questions of image.

Q: As part of his research, John Allen has also given the ex-members of Opus Dei a chance to speak. Do you think he has given too much space to their testimonies?

Carroggio: The book is a journalist's report, not a philosophical reflection on questions of principle. It is the result of a great number of interviews with people in a variety of different situations.

In a work like this, it is the author himself who has to determine the proper balance among his sources. I respect Allen's decision here, because it seems completely legitimate to me. Personally I think that he explains well how these sorts of criticisms differ from those that arise, if I might put it this way, from the writers of fantasy. It easy enough to show that Opus Dei is not behind the sinister operations and conspiracies so often attributed to it. It is different, however, when we are dealing with a person who has had a negative experience. You cannot simply deny a wound, or pain, or bad memories. This is not just an issue of lies and truth.

When we encounter a person's negative experience, we have to show our respect for it, we have to share that pain, even though at times we do not share that person's interpretation of the events.

The fact is that the faithful of Opus Dei live out their dedication to God with full freedom, and their dedication helps them to find happiness, at least the relative happiness that can be had in this world. Hence the great majority of those who come to centers of Opus Dei have a lifelong appreciation for the Work. But this is not always the case. And so it does not seem wrong, but rather just the opposite, that a book like Allen's would include these cases, which I consider to be exceptions. When Allen asked the prelate about this matter, Bishop [Javier] Echevarría said that we ask pardon with all our heart of those persons who do not feel that they were well treated. As you can understand, I have nothing to add to that.

Q: Would you like to see a "Part Two" of this book?

Carroggio: Each book is unique and therein, it seems to me, lies its strength. Although John Allen's book is not merely a book about controversies, the emphasis is certainly on the more-debated issues. In my opinion, he treats these questions respectfully and offers factual information more than partisan or ideological explanations of them. Moreover, he makes an effort to summarize some of the essential characteristics of Opus Dei, such as divine filiation, freedom, the sanctification of work and ordinary life, etc.

I would like a future book to develop these aspects, and precisely in journalistic form. Such a book would be able to describe in a fresh way the experience of living one's Christian life in the middle of the world. It would talk about how faith and prayers provide such admirable resources for one's ordinary life, including the more difficult times like sickness, unemployment or the death of a loved one. There is a lot to talk about.
ZE05122523

What to do with the Da Vinci Code Flick

2006-01-18T20:33:00.000-05:00

The Da Vinci Movie is coming out on May 19th. This will be a huge public podium to speak about what we love the most in the world: Jesus Christ, the real one. And part of that is clarity on the Church and institutions in it like Opus Dei. The Da Vinci Code gave us the fiction, now we must have the facts. Here is an article in Zenit about the movie and what Opus Dei will do about it.

"Da Vinci Code" -- a Blessing for Opus Dei?
Use the Lemon to Make Lemonade, Says Spokesman

ROME, JAN. 12, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The forthcoming film "The Da Vinci Code" might not be so bad for Opus Dei after all.

For the first time, in this interview, a representative of the "evil one of the film" -- the Opus Dei prelature -- offers his view on this production, which Sony-Columbia will release in May.

Marc Carroggio, who oversees Opus Dei's relationship with the international media, told ZENIT that interest about the book and the film "is turning out to be a sort of indirect publicity for us."

Carroggio added that, given the existence of the movie, there will be no fight against anyone. An effort is being made to take advantage of the great interest aroused to propose the figure of Jesus Christ, he stressed.

Q: What do you most dislike about the book and now the movie?

Carroggio: I realize that fiction has its own rules and you shouldn't take it too seriously, but like any Christian I dislike the frivolous way the book plays with the life of Jesus Christ.

Moreover, scripts like this demonize a particular group. It presents the Catholic Church as a band of criminals who for 2,000 years has tried to hide a huge lie.

Although the story is absurd and at times somewhat humorous, it produces a hateful image of the institution and it is well known that hateful images like this produce feelings of hatred in those who lack a critical sense.

I don't think we need more caricatures of any religion. We should all be working for harmony, tolerance and understanding. You cannot be seeking peace with your left hand while you are beating people over the head with your right.

Q: Opus Dei does not usually give official responses to events. Will there be an exception for the "Da Vinci Code" movie?

Carroggio: Some people are waiting for a "declaration of war" from the Catholic Church and from Opus Dei. This might interest those who are marketing the movie -- you know, a big fight in public.

But I can assure you that Opus Dei's only response will be a declaration of peace. No one is going to make threats or organize boycotts or anything like that.

We would have been happy if the producer, Sony-Columbia, had given us some sign that they would respect us. I would call their response so far "polite but noncommittal," with little indication that they intend to respect religious beliefs.

Q: How do you think the members of Opus Dei will react to the movie?

Carroggio: The reaction of the members of Opus Dei, like that of many other Christians, will be to "use the lemon to make lemonade."

Actually this event gives us a wonderful chance to talk about Jesus Christ. After all, it is the figure of Jesus Christ that explains, to a large degree, the popularity of the book.

The novel is essentially parasitical: The author makes a name for himself by attacking a major cultural figure, and he presents it as art. If the plot did not center on Jesus Christ, the book would lose its appeal.

I think that the best response is simply to help people to know Jesus Christ. I suspect that in the coming year, many people will be moved to read the Gospels or a book about the life of Jesus Christ.

They will be drawn to consider the great themes of faith, which give light to the most difficult questions of human existence. For me, these are all ways of turning the lemon into lemonade.

Q: In a certain way, Dan Brown has made Opus Dei more fashionable and given you an opportunity to explain yourselves. Have you noticed an increase in numbers of people seeking information?

Carroggio: Undoubtedly. In the last year, in just the United States, more than a million persons have visited our Web site [www.opusdei.org] and this is primarily due to interest generated by "The Da Vinci Code."

So we are receiving a sort of indirect publicity. This reminds me of what used to happen in the former Communist countries.

If an official organ published an article against the Church - at times attacking Opus Dei as well - we would receive secret messages from individuals who would read the article "backward." They would conclude that if Opus Dei was being criticized by people who criticized the Catholic Church, then Opus Dei must be interesting.

Something similar is occurring with "The Da Vinci Code." We have already made quite a bit of lemonade with the book and, God willing, we hope the movie only increases production.

We will try to give out as much information as possible and will be completely open and available: The doors are open.

We would like to offer anyone who wants it the chance to know about Opus Dei firsthand. This, by the way, is something that seemed to interest neither the author of the book nor the producer of the movie.

Q: Are you going to take legal action against the movie?

Carroggio: I would be surprised if that happened. Of course there are more than enough reasons.

Suppose a movie revealed that Sony-Columbia was not what we had always thought but was a secret group of assassins run by the Mafia, but included a disclaimer that it was just fiction. Somehow I doubt their lawyers would be satisfied. I am sure they would threaten a suit.

Still, legal action is like an icon of institutional conflict. It would be "Opus Dei vs. Sony-Columbia." To me that just sounds almost surreal. As I said earlier, the only thing Opus Dei is going to do is to make a declaration of peace. It takes two to fight and in this case we lack a quorum.

But there are members of Opus Dei in 60 countries. Some of them, with others, run centers that train farmers and young people who can't find work. They also run hospitals in underprivileged areas. All these activities depend financially on the help of many donors. Obviously the novel and movie could make their fund raising more difficult. For this reason, it would not surprise me if some of these organizations thought about seeking damages.

Q: Is Opus Dei going to advise its members not to see the movie? Or would it prefer that they be aware of the negative perception of Opus Dei in some circles?

Carroggio: Members of Opus Dei are adults. We are not going to advise them either way.

An interesting question is whether this movie should be only for adults. Any adult with a minimum of education can distinguish reality from fiction. But when history is manipulated, you cannot expect a child to make proper judgments.

Merely adding a disclaimer that says "Fiction" is not enough. Just as we protect children from explicit sex and violence, it would seem to make sense to protect them from violence that is more subtle and thus more insidious.

I think it is reasonable to be concerned about this question. Besides thinking about profits, one should also think about possible negative influences on the young. As I said earlier, this is not the time for sowing disharmony among persons, nations and religions, but rather understanding.
ZE06011202

Some links in Canada

2005-01-30T22:28:00.000-05:00

Riverviewcentre in Montreal, a student centre and residence for young men to study, meet friends, pray, and learn heavy stuff about the Catholic Faith. It is located next to McGill University
Others in Canada include:
Fontenige Centre is a student residents in Montreal for women. It has sponsored social projects in the third world, particularly in Latin America, where they have taught children and helped repair churches.

Trimar
Chilawee camp for girls
Hawthorn School for girls in Toronto
Ernescliff College in Toronto
Boisgomin Centre in Quebec City
Valrideau in Ottawa
Glenwood Centre in Vancouver

THE PRIESTLY SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CROSS

2005-01-30T12:55:00.000-05:00

by RAPHAEL CAAMANO

The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross is an association of
diocesan priests which is united to the Prelature of Opus Dei. This
article about the Society is a belated response to a suggestion I
received some time ago from my beloved friend, the late Msgr. Raul del
Valle.

Readers of Clergy Report may not know of this Society. There are
two reasons for this: first, activities organized by the Priestly
Society of the Holy Cross -- such as monthly days of recollection,
workshops, retreats -- have only barely begun in the archdiocese and in
a relatively small way. Second,priests who have attended tend to label
these activities "Opus Dei." This is understandable; the Priestly
Society, though distinct, is inseparable from Opus Dei. Opus Dei is
better known and its name is shorter and simpler.

An Associative Bond

If a priest of the archdiocese, for example, belongs to the
Priestly Society, it is inevitable that he will be referred to as having
"joined Opus Dei." This is not accurate; the distinction is fundamental
to the nature of the Priestly Society. A priest incardinated in a
diocese is not a member of the Prelature of Opus Dei and can not join
the Prelature. Priests of Opus Dei are those who, having been called to
the priesthood by the Prelate of Opus Dei from among the lay members of
the Prelature, are ordained for the Prelature.

The "Declaration Concerning Opus Dei," published by the Sacred
Congregation for Bishops explains it this way: "The Priestly Society of
the Holy Cross is an association which is inseparably united to the
Prelature. Priests of the diocesan clergy who wish to strive for
sanctity in their ministry in accordance with the spirituality of Opus
Dei may form part of this association. These priests, by virtue of
their membership in the association, do not form part of the clergy of
the Prelature. They remain, to all effects and purposes, under the
jurisdiction of their own Ordinary, whom they will inform, if he wishes,
of their membership in the association."

Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, the Prelate of Opus Dei and the President
General of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, explained in an
interview that clergy pining the Priestly Society do not in any way lessen
their dependence on the local ordinary -- quite the reverse: "This merely
associative bond...does not place them under the jurisdiction of the
Prelate of Opus Dei. Nor does it break, or in the slightest way weaken, the
bond which these priests have with their respective dioceses and their own
Ordinary....The spiritual and ascetical assistance they receive from the
Priestly Society of the Holy Cross leads them, among other things, to
maintain an exemplary attitude of availability regarding the requests of
their ordinaries and the needs of their dioceses."

Msgr. Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, repeatedly affirmed that
priests who join the Priestly Society have only one superior -- their
bishop. There is no internal hierarchy for them in the association.

He said: "The diocesan priests who make legitimate use of the right
of association to become members of the Priestly Society of the Holy
Cross do so solely because they desire to receive personal spiritual
help. They act in a manner entirely compatible with the duties of their
state.

"When a priest joins the Priestly Society, he neither modifies nor
abandons any part of his diocesan vocation. His dedication to the
service of the local Church in which he is incardinated, his full
dependence on his own ordinary, his secular spirituality, his solidarity
with other priests, etc., are not changed. On the contrary, he
undertakes to live his vocation to the full, because he knows that he
must seek perfection precisely in the exercise of his obligations as a
diocesan priest."

Spirituality

The spirituality of Opus Dei -- shared by the Priestly Society of
the Holy Cross -- emphasizes the value of the everyday circumstances of
life; they are the means God uses to make us holy. Love for God
transforms them from merely human events into supernatural treasures.
Msgr. Escriva preached:"

Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine
hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you
to discover it....There is no other way. Either we learn to find our
Lord in everyday life, or else we shall never find him. That is why I
tell you that our age needs to give back to matter and to the apparently
trivial events of life their noble, original meaning. It needs to place
them at the service of the Kingdom of God; it needs to spiritualize
them."

It should be easy for a priest to turn all the circumstances and
events of his life into occasions of meeting Christ; but experience
teaches us that both priests and lay faithful need to be supported,
encouraged, and guided in their spiritual life, if this sanctification
of daily life will ever go beyond wistful daydreaming. The Priestly
Society provides this kind of support for diocesan priests, just as the
Prelature of Opus Dei does for lay people.

Thus, in addition to receiving the general spiritual guidance which
the bishops impart to all clergy through personal conversations,
pastoral letters, instructions and preaching, the members of the
Priestly Society receive personal spiritual direction which respects and
complements that common guidance. This personal spiritual direction, so
strongly recommended by the second Vatican Council, helps foster the
priests life of piety, his love for souls, his reverence and obedience
toward his own bishop, his concern for vocations to the seminary.

Those who seek the spiritual support provided by the Priestly
Society are encouraged to use the traditional means recommended for
centuries in the Church: daily mental prayer, spiritual reading and
study of Sacred Scripture, examinations of conscience, the Rosary and,
of course, daily Mass, the root and summit of interior life.

Activities

The activities organized by the Priestly Society are those familiar
to the diocesan clergy: days of recollection, retreats, workshops, etc.
Of course, they are open to all secular priests who want to attend them.
There are several five-day retreats every year, conducted by priests of
Opus Dei. Retreats are held at Arnold Hall Conference Center (Pembroke,
MA); St. Mary's Villa (Sloatsburg, NY); and Don Bosco Retreat Center
(West Haverstraw, NY).

There is a monthly afternoon of recollection in Manhattan,
conducted by priests of Opus Dei, at St. Thomas More Church at 65 East
89th Street in Manhattan.

Further information about the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross
and the activities organized for diocesan priests can be obtained by
calling or writing to Fr. Bradley Arturi, 99 Overlook Circle, New
Rochelle, NY 10804. Tel. (914) 235-1201.

Reprinted with permission of Clergy Report, Office of Pastoral Research
and Planning, Archdiocese of New York, 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY,
1002-2134; March/April 1990

*****
ROMAN ACADEMIC CENTRE OF THE HOLY CROSS

The Roman Academic Centre of the Holy Cross is a centre for advanced
ecclesiastical studies, composed of the Roman campus of the Faculties of
Theology and Canon Law of the University of Navarre (Spain), a corporate
work of the Prelature Opus Dei. This campus, which offers at present
the courses of the second and third cycles, grants the corresponding
academic degrees of Licenciate and Doctorate, with full canonical
validity, in conformance with the Decree Dei Servus (9.1.1985) of the
Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education.

BRIEF HISTORY

The Roman Academic Centre has been made possible, to a large extent,
thanks to the work of research and teaching of the Faculties of Canon
Law and Theology of the University of Navarre, established in 1959 and
1964, respectively, by the Founder of Opus Dei, the Servant of God Msgr.
Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, and erected canonically in 1960 and 1969.
Msgr. Escriva was also the founder and the first Grand Chancellor of the
University. The history of the new Centre, however, goes back to the
forties. When the Founder of Opus Dei moved to Rome in 1946, he
nurtured the hope of establishing near the See of Peter, an academic
institution for the ecclesiastical sciences. He took the opportune
steps with a view to this objective, which was fulfilled -- with the
paternal blessing of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II -- by Msgr.
Alvaro del Portillo, Prelate of Opus Dei and the present Grand
Chancellor of the University of Navarre.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

The central objective of the Roman Academic Centre of the Holy Cross is
to foster, with a spirit of service to the Church and faithfulness to
her Magisterium, teaching and investigation in the ecclesiastical
sciences, as well as the formation of specialists in theology and canon
law. The Centre seeks to attain its objective in cooperation with other
institutions of higher learning. It fosters interdisciplinary exchange
with other fields of scientific knowledge, with their particular methods
of research, so that the various disciplines, and specially the
theological and canonical sciences, may enrich and help one another,
joining in a common effort to confront contemporary problems and needs.
Following the indications of Vatican Council II, the Roman Academic
Centre of the Holy Cross sets for itself the following aims, among many
others:

- to offer a preparation which unites professional competence and
intellectual development with the improvement of apostolic and
missionary spirit, which the students should maintain and develop while
they complete their studies here, never forgetting the pastoral or
teaching duties which they will have in their native countries;

- to develop greater sensitivity to cultural and human problems which
should be brought into focus with christian criteria, taking into
account ethnic differences;

- to foster love for the truth, through disciplined search for,
faithful adherence to, and generous transmission of the truth;

- to place the specific task of teaching or investigation within the
broader perspective of the cultural and spiritual life of the person;

- to prepare experts and scholars in the ecclesiastical sciences, so
that they may work with scientific spirit, coherent faith and sincere
piety.

THEOLOGY

The Roman campus of the Faculty of Theology has as its specific aim to
foster a deeper study of Catholic doctrine, recognizing the harmony
between faith and reason in the search for the truth, and seeking the
solution to human problems by the light of Revelation. At the same
time, the Faculty attempts to form scholars in the science of faith, who
will promote theological research, cooperate in the Church's mission of
preaching the Gospel, and be able to recognize ideologies, systems and
methods which are not in accord with christian faith. It seeks,
therefore, to provide the students with a solid knowledge of christian
Revelation, through the study of Holy Scripture, and the documents of
ecclesiastical Tradition and of theology, so as to enable them to
resolve the particular problems of different cultures according to the
light of Revelation, in their work of investigation and teaching, or in
undertaking the various tasks of evangelization and catechesis.

CANON LAW

The Roman campus of the Faculty of Canon Law proposes to study the law
of the Church, harmonizing the knowledge and value of the canonical
tradition with the most recent contributions of juridical science,
within the present theological and canonical setting of the Church. In
effect, the promulgation of the new Code has constituted the beginning
of a process of renewal of the laws of the Church: its canons leave wide
disciplinary margins in the determination of the particular norms the
bishops' conferences and the respective diocesan bishops of each country
will promulgate. These new laws call for a greater effort in the Church
to prepare experts, who will be able to help in the pastoral government
of the bishops -- in the respective particular churches -- with their
technical knowledge, placed at the service of the People of God.

TEACHING FACULTY

The Academic Assembly of the Centre is composed of the Professors of
Theology and Canon Law. They have been teaching, up until now, in the
Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarre and in various
Pontifical Universities in Rome. Since the establishment of the
Faculties of Theology and Canon Law of the University of Navarre, its
professors have combined specialized investigation with cooperative
efforts and interdisciplinary exchanges. All this work has been
collected in many publications, which help in the preparation of the
students and the progressive improvement in the quality of teaching.

AT THE HEART OF CHRISTENDOM...

The Roman Academic Centre of the Holy Cross is provisionally located in
a building adjoining the Church of San Girolamo della Carita in the
Piazza di Santa Caterina della Rota, which is near the Palazzo Farnese,
one of the most distinguished areas of Ancient Rome. The primitive
church of San Girolamo della Carita was constructed in the 5th century
above the place where this illustrious Father and Doctor of the Church
resided during his stay in Rome. In the 16th century, this site became a
centre of irradiation of the spiritual, doctrinal and pastoral reforms
undertaken by the Council of Trent. It witnessed a true renewal in the
life of the Church, thanks to a group of diocesan priests who resided in
the building adjacent to the church. Among them was Philip Neri, around
whom were gathered many revered figures of that era, men full of
spiritual and apostolic zeal: Charles Borromeo, Camillus de Lellis, John
Leonardi, and others.

A UNIVERSAL ASPIRATION

Through the teaching and scientific investigation of the Roman Academic
Centre of the Holy Cross, the Prelature Opus Dei hopes to contribute to
resolving the compelling need which is so much felt in the entire
Church: the need for priests, religious, and laymen who will join their
thorough intellectual, spiritual, pastoral and apostolic preparation
with faithful adherence to the indications of the Roman Pontiff and the
college of bishops. The Prelature aspires, at the same time, to
encourage investigation in the ecclesiastical sciences, in accord with
the Magisterium of the universal Church and in cooperation with the
particular churches in their work of evangelization of men and cultures.

General Director Rev. Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, Ph.D.
Via S. Girolamo della Carita, 64-00185 Rome, Italy
Tel. 654-3752

U.S. Representative: Rev. C. John McCloskey, III
330 Riverside Drive, Nev York, N.Y. 10025
Tel. (212) 222-3285

*****
ROMAN ATHENEUM OF THE HOLY CROSS

The Roman Atheneum of the Holy Cross is a center for higher studies
in ecclesiastical sciences. It was established by the Holy See through a
decree issued by the Congregation for Catholic Education on January 9,
1990, and is entrusted to the Prelature of Opus Dei.

The Atheneum's history can be traced back to 1946, when the
Venerable Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, moved to Rome. He
planned an institution for ecclesiastical sciences close to the Holy
See. This dream became a reality after his death in 1975, through the
efforts of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, the Prelate of Opus Dei, with the
blessing of the Holy Father, John Paul II.

The institution began in 1984 as the Rome campus of the University
of Navarre. Through the above mentioned decree of 1990, it was
officially established as an atheneum or independent university.

Classes and research are conducted at two facilities in the center
of Rome, the Sant'Apollinare building and the San Girolamo della Carita
building. Both locations have a long history as centers of
ecclesiastical learning and priestly formation.

Within the Departments of Theology and Philosophy, students may
pursue three levels of university education. Cycle I, called
institutional studies, may be undertaken to obtain the bachelor's
degree; Cycle II corresponds to the specialized licentiate; and Cycle
III to the doctorate.

The Roman Section of the Department of Canon Law of the University
of Navarre continues to provide licentiate and doctorate courses.

The Atheneum is open to men and women, clergy and laity, who fulfill
the admission requirements of the respective departments. The academic
titles awarded by the departments are fully recognized by ecclesiastical
authorities.

The Atheneum publishes a number of collections of scientific works
on specific topics of Theology, Philosophy, and Canon Law, and also the
following journals: Annales Theologici, Ius Ecclesiae, Acta Philosophica.

The financial costs of the Atheneum are covered in part by numerous
donations, large and small, coming from all over the world.

Students at the Roman Atheneum can select from a variety of living
arrangements. Diocesan seminarians may choose to reside in Sedes
Sapientiae, an international ecclesiastical college directed by the
Prelature of Opus Dei.

For further information and application materials, please contact:
Rev. C. John McCloskey
34 Mercer Street
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
Telephone/Fax: (609) 497-0906

To contact the Atheneum directly:
Piazza S. Apollinare, 49
1-00186 Roma
Via S. Girolamo della Carita, 64
1-00186 Roma
Telephone: 654-37-52
country code is 39, city code is 06
Fax: 689-70-21

*****
Filial love among priests and bishops is rooted
in the Sacrament of Holy Orders

(Special Report on Seminarians Conference)

BY WALLY CAREW
PlLOT STAFF

Last week, 44 diocesan seminarians from the United States and Canada
gathered together to experience the loving sacramental bond of Holy Orders
and to share in the joys of fraternal, priestly service to God and His
Universal Church in a spirit of total trust in the Holy Spirit and
unbreakable unity and oneness with the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, and
all Church bishops.

The ninth annual Seminar For Seminarians, which was entitled "John
Paul II Speaks To The Church of The United States," was held at the Arnold
Hall Conference Center in Pembroke from March 27-31. The seminar was
sponsored by The New England Theological Forum, an educational service
activity of priests of the Opus Dei Prelature and priests of the dioceses
of New England.

Candidates for diocesan priesthood had a rare opportunity to become
acquainted with each other, to get to know bishops and cardinals on a
personal basis and to gain first-hand knowledge about "the shared sense of
responsibility and fraternity between generations of men who have
answered the call of the Lord to His service in the priesthood."

`A PRIEST MUST BE A FAMILY MAN. For
parishes and dioceses to become families,
priests must have filial affection
and love for their bishops.'

- REV. SAL M. FERIGLE

Uplifting experience

The seminarians prayed, studied, reflected and recreated together in a
relaxed, home-like setting on beautiful retreat grounds. Uplifted by an
indivisible family tie - one priesthood serving one Lord and one people -
the seminarians joined hearts and minds and entered into the homilies and
addresses of Pope John Paul II during his pastoral visits to the United
States and his talks with American bishops during their "ad limina" visits
in 1983 and 1988 as well as their most recent visit with the Holy Father,
early last month.

The seminar was anchored on the words: "Ubi Petrus ibi ecclesia - Where
Peter is, there is the Church." Cardinal Bernard Law told the seminarians
how precious they are to the Holy Father, Peter's successor and Vicar of
Christ. While attending the conference of American bishops in Rome last
month, Pope John Paul II said that by their presence, the American bish-
ops placed all American priests and seminarians even closer to his own
heart.

Rev. Sal M. Ferigle, founder and director of the seminar, said that one
of its main purposes is to foster a sense of priestly fraternity rooted
in the sacrament of Holy Orders for those who are preparing for the
priesthood. "You could see a wonderful sense of unity developing," said
Father Sal. "The seminarians didn't see Cardinal Law and Cardinal Hickey
only as Princes of the Church; they experienced their human dimension and
they now can look to them as priests, older brothers or even fathers."

Father Sal also said that no priest with a sense of family is ever
alone. "A priest must be a family man," said Father Sal. "For parishes and
dioceses to become families, priests must have filial affection and love
for their bishops."

Two-way conversations

Matthew Lee, a seminarian from the Washington, D.C. Archdiocese, has
attended each of the last four seminars at Arnold Hall. He is drawn to the
intimate atmosphere of the seminar. "The speakers with their pastoral
experiences have such credibility," he said. "The atmosphere is really
unique. It is friendly and caring. lt gives you the one-to-one feeling of
having a two-way conversation with a friend."

The seminar program consisted of nine study sessions featuring an
impressive list of speakers. For instance, Most Rev. Donald Wuerl, Bishop
of Pittsburgh, talked on Priests for the Third Millennium; Cardinal Law's
theme was entitled The Centrality of the Eucharist; Most Rev. Thomas V.
Daily, Bishop of Palm Beach, Fla. and former Auxiliary Bishop of the
Archdiocese of Boston, spoke on The Ministry of the Word; James Cardinal
Hickey, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., addressed The Importance of Good
Catechesis; and Most Rev. Thomas J. Welch, Bishop of Allentown, Pa.,
lectured on The Family.
......

CARDINAL HICKEY SAID THAT prayer and
rich sacramental life bring the Christ's
infinite power to catechesis.
......

Also making presentations at the seminar were Rev. Msgr. William F.
Murphy, Archdiocese of Boston Secretary for Community Relations;
Michael Pakaluk, from the Clark University Department of Philosophy; Rev.
David Q. Liptak, chairman of the theology department at Holy Apostles
Seminary in Cromwell, Ct. and Father Sal M. Ferigle, director of the
Seminar for Seminarians.

Monsignor Murphy made a presentation on Social Justice. Mr. Pakaluk
spoke on The Role of the Laity. Father Liptak examined The College and
University: Environment of Faith and Father Sal lectured on the Sacrament
of Penance.

Illuminating message

Bishop Daily, speaking on The Ministry of the Word, used the addresses
and
homilies of the Holy Father to illuminate his message. He challenged the
seminarians to be fearless in their ministry of serving Christ and His
people. "You are leaven to be used for the sanctification of the world,"
said Bishop Daily. "You have the gifts and talents from God to transform
society."

Bishop Daily also told the seminarians that there is no cure for
schisms. He encouraged them to become holy men and then they will be come
credible witnesses of the gospel message. He also said that unity with
their bishops and the Apostolic See strengthens faith and builds the
Church.

Cardinal Hickey said prayer and rich sacramental life bring Christ's
power to catechesis. "Catechesis without the sacraments is cold " said
Cardinal Hickey.

The Cardinal Archbishop of Washington, D.C. stressed the importance of
prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and he said that Eucharistic Adoration
is a treasure of our faith that infuses Catechesis with Christ's life. He
also asked the seminarians to imitate Mary and use her as their model.
"Faith without devotion to the Mother of God is like food without salt,"
said Cardinal Hickey.

Spiritual starvation

He also said that people are starving for spiritual nourishment. "The
task is to bring all people into communion and to intimacy with Jesus of
Nazareth, not just in touch with Our Lord and Savior."

The Cardinal also implored the seminarians to be totally faithful to
the teachings of the Church. "God's people have a right to receive the
fullness of all that the Church teaches," said Cardinal Hickey.

"Instead of refashioning Christ, we want to allow Him to refashion
us."

'Prayer time before the Blessed Sacrament was key'

The seminarians began each day in individual and communal prayer
before the Blessed Sacrament, for as long as one hour and 45 minutes begin-
ning with silent Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Following
Eucharistic Adoration, there was the Liturgy of the Hours, morning prayer
and then a preached meditation with more time for reflection.

These were tender moments when barriers faded away, hearts were joined
and the warmth of fraternal affection united all in attendance with each
other through Christ. "The prayer time before the Blessed Sacrament was
the key to every day of the seminar," said Father Sal. "Everything flowed
from that. The special mood of being relaxed and feeling at home grew out
of the time people spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament."

Jim McManamy, a seminarian from Toronto, Canada, said the seminar was
refreshing and down to earth. "We are comfortable with ourselves and we
are comfortable with our vocations," he said.

McManamy also said he experienced a sense of the Church breadth and
depth. "We feel love, support and fraternity," he said. "Each of us has
been made aware that the Church is so much bigger than each one of us and
our particular diocese. It is universal!"

The seminar spread truth, enkindled fervor, cultivated optimism,
increased hope, deepened trust, multiplied joy and widened the scope of
priestly fraternity. Father Sal turned to the words of Pope John Paul II
when the Holy Father visited Harlem while touring the United States in 1979
to capture the bursting spirit that came alive during the Seminar for
Seminarians at Arnold Hall in Pembroke. The Holy Father proclaimed that we
are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song," said Father Sal. "That
same joy is evident here this week at Arnold Hall. Just look around. Look
at the faces you see!"

God is in command and the Holy Spirit will triumph over all. That
hopeful proclamation was exclaimed last week to 44 seminarians scattered
around the United States and Canada.

This article was originally published in the April 7, 1989 edition of
"The Pilot", Boston, MA.

Lay movements move past earlier criticisms, into mainstream

2005-01-30T12:28:00.000-05:00

Catholic News Service (CNS)
Friday, January 14, 2005

By Cindy Wooden

Enthusiasm and exaggeration have marked the development of Catholic lay movements and the opinions of the movements' critics in the 40 years since the Second Vatican Council.

The exaggerations and failures that Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, now president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, described in a 1999 council meeting as "childhood diseases" even have led to some of the groups being labeled "cults."

Exclusivity, adulation of the movement's founder, dedication to the group to the exclusion of one's family or work, and excessive control are among the common criticisms.

Addressing the same 1999 meeting, Pope John Paul II acknowledged the criticisms, but said "every human work needs time and patience for its required and indispensable purification."

In 1994 the pope dedicated dozens of his general audience talks to the topic of lay people in the church, and he highlighted the right of Catholic laity to form associations for their own spiritual good, for evangelization and to coordinate their charitable work.

Working with parish priests, local bishops and the Vatican, he said, were necessary signs that a group or movement was serious about "ecclesial harmony and cooperation" and that it recognized the legitimate and necessary role of pastors in helping the groups discern what is proper, healthy and Catholic.

The groups, he said, "must always maintain a concern for unity, avoiding rivalry, tensions, tendencies to monopolize the apostolate or to claim a primacy of place that the Gospel itself excludes."

Guzman Carriquiry, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, told Catholic News Service that when members find growth, support and fellowship in a group "you cannot ask members of a movement not to be grateful for that movement and not to love the founder."

"At the same time, they cannot deny the gifts present in other movements," he said. "None of the charisms found in any movement have value unless they lead to the same place: holiness."

In the modern world, many people have a hard time understanding why anyone would give up some of his or her individual freedom to accommodate someone else or to pursue a specific goal, Carriquiry said.

"But freedom does not mean breaking every bond," he said. "My ties to my friends, my family and my community help me exercise my freedom in a way that recognizes I am dependent on God."

Several of the movements have been accused of forcing members to confess their sins in public, a practice all of the groups say is misunderstood.

Many of them have adopted practices based on the monastic tradition - called "emendatio" - of periodically acknowledging one's faults and shortcomings in a gathering of the community.

But it is not sacramental confession, and group leaders are obliged to exercise control to ensure that the practice - meant to encourage humility, to recognize that everyone struggles to live holy lives and to provide support - does not lead to humiliation, a violation of privacy or scandal.

Members of the personal prelature of Opus Dei - lay people and priests - generally have an opportunity for the "emendatio" once each week.

Msgr. Joaquin Llobell, an Opus Dei priest and professor of canon law, said the practice always must be voluntary and must never be exaggerated.

"Humility and sincerity are one thing, but they cannot be allowed to be separated from common sense," he said.

An individual confession of sins to a priest with a guarantee of secrecy and the possibility of anonymity "is the church's preference" for the sacrament, he said.

The Opus Dei "emendatio," he said, does not take the place of sacramental confession, which members are encouraged to seek once every week.

The things shared in the small groups are not sins, he said, but struggles and failures.

"For example, I may say, 'This week I never managed to say my afternoon prayers on time. I'm so disorganized. Please pray for me.' But I do not recount those sins which belong in a confessional," he said.

Msgr. Llobell said he would not recommend the practice to any group that includes children or teenagers and, he said, it is imperative that the group leader be mature and prepared. "There is a risk that sharing spirals out of control with a recounting of more and more serious things, things that should be kept private," he said.

The moderator also must ensure that no one feels forced to share. Although the practice has long been part of the weekly Opus Dei gatherings, no one is forced to share and many do not, the Spanish monsignor said.

"In my community, some people have not shared in 20 years - especially the Anglo-Saxons. We Latins are so much more open," he said. "As a part of the church, we are like a family, and like a family, we share many things. But there are some things you just don't share with the whole family."

Measures to ensure that group sharing did not become group confession were written into the Neocatechumenal Way's statutes, which were approved by the Vatican in 2002.

The Way, as it is known, does not consider itself a lay movement, but rather a parish-based process of faith formation. The statutes said that the members periodically celebrate the sacrament of penance "according to the rite of reconciliation for several penitents with individual confession and absolution."

As for the group sharing, the statutes said, "people share freely the experience of what God's grace is accomplishing in their life and the difficulties which may have occurred are expressed, respecting the freedom of a person's conscience."

Giuseppe Gennarini, responsible for the Neocatechumenal communities in the United States, told CNS that participants "confess only to a priest." The group sharing, he said, is not sacramental but rather serves to build community and provide support.

Gennarini said that sometimes visitors, who do not know the history of an individual group, have been shocked at what they heard people sharing.

"I have been involved in a community for almost 35 years, and naturally we share the experiences of our lives. The members of the group are very dear friends," he said. "What is appropriate to share after 10 years together might not be appropriate after just 10 weeks."

But in every group the sharing is voluntary, he said. "There is no gun pointed at anyone's head."

-CNS

Why Ruth Kelly's faith and her politics cannot be separated

2005-01-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

London Times on Line
January 29, 2005
by MATTHEW PARRIS
OPUS DEI? Ruth Kelly? The Da Vinci Code? The Secretary of State for Education?

Of all the stories one could not have predicted to hover around the fringes of the news in early 2005 as the new Labour Government approached re-election, the association between a rather brilliant new education secretary and what the newspapers characterise as a shadowy cadre of elite Roman Catholic ultras certainly takes the biscuit. What next? Will Peter Hain, the Leader of the House, be found to be a former member of South Africa’s white-supremacist Broederbond? Will the Lord Chancellor be exposed as a Freemason, or the Children’s Minister as a Satanist?
And much of the reporting, Ruth Kelly must feel, has been unfair. Opus Dei, it is true, can be linked to many in the Francoist Establishment in 20th-century Spain; but some of its members opposed Franco bravely. And so far as they were a political force at all in Madrid, they were in many ways a modernising influence — nothing like the sinister and murderous organisation depicted in The Da Vinci Code, a work of pure fiction. Opus Dei in Spain consisted of clever and clubable achievers, not secret torturers.

Nor are they today. There is no fairminded reason for the Education Secretary to feel embarrassed about her association with Opus Dei in 21st-century Britain. Though elements of secretiveness have always surrounded the organisation, its members (like the Freemasons) are respectable people who intend through associating together and subscribing to their organisation’s guiding principles, to be a force for good.

Though Opus Dei’s instincts have consistently been for authority, continuity and order, they are not mindless reactionaries. These men and women are distinguished by intellect and achievement. The network does not impose judgments on its members; it has no blueprint or secret plan for history, just a set of shared convictions; and Ms Kelly may reasonably feel that she has no need to distance herself either from contemporary Opus Dei, or even from its past.

All the same, I think that in yanking her quite so violently from obscurity to power, the Prime Minister may be taking more of a risk than he realises. And I suspect that Ms Kelly understands this better than he does.

The success of The Da Vinci Code has been phenomenal. Senior politicians tend to let the tidal flows of popular culture slosh around rather beneath their notice, but this fundamentally silly but vastly engaging book has taken the Western world by storm. Rocketing sales may be evidence of more than its readability and gripping story. I wonder whether our era of relative godlessness may have brought with it a new susceptibility towards cults, supersititions and conspiracy-theories of every kind. Headlines about Ms Kelly and The Da Vinci Code chime with a public mood: people whisper of secret conclaves and a hidden hand in the affairs of state.

How should Ms Kelly dispel these anxieties? An excellent start was made — and then disowned. We do not know who it was who spread the rumours at the time of her promotion, but we must now assume it cannot have been Ms Kelly, because she has categorically denied them.

It was said she had told the Prime Minister that there were certain ministerial posts she would feel unable to accept because they would involve a clash, or the appearance of a clash, with her religious beliefs. The rumours mentioned Health and International Development, because of Catholic beliefs about abortion and contraception.

When I read these rumours I gave a silent cheer. At last — a politician with the integrity and intellect to understand what Rocco Buttiglione (the EU Commissioner-designate whom the European Parliament threw out) failed to see: there are real conflicts between some Christian, Muslim and Judaic beliefs, and the mainstream of secular modern European politics.

Some years ago, as Times parliamentary sketchwriter reporting a Commons debate on stem-cell research, I offended a number of religious readers by suggesting that just as we require MPs to declare any financial interest which might touch legislation passing through the House, so we should require MPs whose religious affiliation touched a topic of debate to declare that affiliation. A stake in the future of one’s immortal soul strikes me as having at least as much potential to affect one’s judgment as, say, a stake in the financial results of a pharmaceutical company involved in stem-cell research. Both should be declared, I said.

I was serious. I still believe it. If an MP makes an impassioned speech on the ease with which medical research can proceed without using fertilised human eggs, I think we deserve to know whether he or she is a Catholic. A conviction that stem-cell research is wicked in the eyes of God may have influenced his or her judgment. It may not have done so, of course, just as share ownership may not prejudice an MP’s view of legislation touching the value of the shares. The point about declaration is that is allows us to weigh for ourselves the MP’s judgment, in light of what we know about his interests. If the MP feels that his judgment may then be seen in a poor light, he can absent themselves altogether from the debate.

So ‘Good for you, Ruth!’, I thought when I read that there were ministerial posts she would avoid. She had understood that her faith would devalue her credibility in these areas; or bring her into conflict with her own Government’s policies.

It was disappointing, then, when Ms Kelly denied that she had ruled herself out of any ministerial job on religious grounds. Instead she is anchoring her position in the time-honoured — and thoroughly dubious — assertion that she knows how to distinguish between faith and politics. Ms Kelly insisted in an interview with the Daily Mirror that her faith was a private matter which had nothing to do with her job. “I have a private spiritual life and I have a faith. It is a private spiritual life and I don’t think it is relevant to my job,” she said.

What? That is wholly inconsistent not just with the whole drift of Opus Dei’s work, but with Christ’s teaching. Of course one’s faith, and the moral code anchored in it, is relevant to one’s job. It is impossible to read the Gospels in any other way. Would Ms Kelly serve in a Cabinet legislating for the slaughter of the firstborn on the ground that her own views of right and wrong were private? If now she is to serve in a Cabinet which tolerates the slaughter of what she believes to be the “unborn child”, how can she possibly say she could occupy a ministerial post in the department responsible because her faith would not be “relevant” to her job?

She has rejected a suggestion that her religious beliefs could affect the way she carries out her role in government in relation to sex education. How so? Does a believer not believe religion has lessons in this area? And, more importantly, at a time when the status of “faith” schools is a vexed question, can Ms Kelly really stay dispassionate in the tussle between those who do and those who do not believe that the State — and the taxpayer — should be sponsoring faith-based education?

I admire Opus Dei and I admire Ruth Kelly’s refusal to dissociate herself from the organisation. But if there is a single belief which breathes clearly through all Opus Dei’s short history it is that God, faith, work and the world are all one. The worry is not that some big cheese in Opus Dei is telling the Education Secretary what to do. Opus Dei is not like that. The worry is that Ms Kelly thinks her God is telling her what to do, for that is what she ought to think if her faith is sincere. She should stay with Opus Dei and stay in politics. But the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs would have been a wiser posting.

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Don't judge Ruth Kelly's spirituality by what The Da Vinci Code says

2005-01-30T11:56:00.000-05:00

(Filed: 19/01/2005)
There's nothing sinister about Opus Dei, says former member Christopher Howse

When I was a member of Opus Dei, a certain sort of person was beastly to me because they hated Opus Dei. "Aha," they would say, if I made a mistake, "typical Opus Dei!" Opus Dei-baiting was like Jew-baiting.

No hidden agenda: Ruth Kelly

Since I left, in 1988, the same kind of people have been much nicer, on the assumption that I loathe Opus Dei as much as they seem to. I don't loathe it at all. My departure was to do with me rather than them. I didn't like getting up early and things. But I have never since met a group who are kinder, more patient or less motivated by personal ambition.

I can understand, though, why Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, doesn't want to be written off as a mere chip off the Opus Dei block. She should be condemned for her politics, if they are despicable, not for her choice of spiritual advisers.

Just at the moment, the serial on Woman's Hour is a novel called The Gowk Storm, set in 19th-century Scotland. The village dominie or schoolmaster is driven out by the local elders because he is a Roman Catholic.

He is believed to be capable of anything. One old woman saw with her own eyes how he bewitched a fish in her frying-pan and made it jump on to the floor. Of course. And the vilification of Opus Dei is just like the routine disgust with Roman Catholics in Britain in the 19th century.

In fact, Roman Catholics can look pretty strange to outsiders. In their churches they display carvings of a dying or dead man with no clothes on, nailed to a cross. As they enter their pews, they make obeisance or curtsy towards a metal box under a veil which contains nothing but what looks like a round bit of bread. Ghosts figure large in Catholic belief. Until recently, they called one of the gods they worship the "Holy Ghost".

All right, the preceding paragraph was a parody of ill-motivated observation. I know that Catholics only worship one God. The Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit (or Ghost) are three persons in one God. That's what the C of E believes, too. But it is not easy to explain simply.

Similarly, it is not easy to explain to a post-Freudian secularist that ascetical practices – penance, fasting – are not exhibitions of self-hatred. The one thing everyone wants to know about Opus Dei is whether they beat themselves with knotted cords. The inquirers hope that this is a bit of kinky sex they can hear about.

Cardinal Newman (1801-90) used to beat himself a bit. "Taking the discipline," he called it. Fr Faber, a fellow member of the Catholic congregation of priests called the Oratorians, made excuses about taking the discipline, saying it was bad for his health. Perhaps that sort of practice is impossible in the modern world.

I can't say I go in for beating myself. All Catholics are, however, bound by their religion to do some penance every Friday in honour of the Passion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday – that dying man nailed to the cross. Catholics believe he isn't dead. They talk to him, same as you'd talk to the cat, only they really think he understands.

I want to say what Opus Dei is really about, but there's The Da Vinci Code to deal with first. The chief baddy in that bad book, you must know, is called Silas, an albino Opus Dei "monk" who kills people.

But no members of Opus Dei are monks, they are ordinary civilian women and men, and they seldom kill anyone. Albinos are admitted as members, as available. So are black people, and were welcomed a long time before a lot of other white churchy people recognised them as equals.

A few facts, then. Opus Dei was founded in 1928 by a Spaniard called Josemaria Escriva. He was recently declared a saint. The Catholic Church fully approves of Opus Dei, which has about 80,000 members round the world. Its chief function is to remind lay Christians that by their baptism they have a vocation to seek holiness, which is to say, friendship with God. Ordinary people, Opus Dei declares, do not have to become monks or nuns to find God; they can offer to him their daily work.

Most members are married folk. A very few are priests. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has just asked Opus Dei to take on a parish in Hampstead, but the people who go to church there will not be Opus Dei members any more than people who go to a church run by the Jesuits are Jesuits.

What do members of Opus Dei do? They pray in the morning and in the evening. They go to Mass every day, as pious Catholics do. But most of the day is spent working, as anyone has to, and with their families. All the time, they are aware that they are in the presence of God and, as his children, inwardly offer him the things they do during the day, cheerfully. It sounds nice enough to me and almost makes me want to join up again. Perhaps they are too normal for me, though.

Anyway, because Opus Dei wants lay people to be responsible for their own actions, it never gives members any orders or advice about their professional or political lives. That was the great taboo when I was a member: you could ask for advice about praying but would never dream of asking about voting.

We wouldn't just shop at a grocer's because it was run by a member. So Opus Dei doesn't boast of having a specific MP or plumber as a member. It's up to the member. There is such a thing as privacy. Perhaps he might be hounded out of his job by those playground bullies.

I've noticed that when people leave organisations, they can make a hobby of slagging them off, thus proving their own superiority. But the Catholic Church is a big place, hence the name. Christians are meant to be seeking unity and loving one another, so the Bible says, not denouncing anyone who follows a slightly different way from their own.

Even the chief inspector of schools rather bafflingly called this week for us to be "intolerant of intolerance", so I think multi-cultural tolerance should at least extend to a voluntary association of committed Catholics like Opus Dei.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/01/19/ftopus19.xml&sSheet=/arts/2005/01/19/ixartleft.html