Posted on 05/19/2006 5:51:33 PM PDT by fishtank
Opus Dei, the Da Vinci Code and ODAN
For those of us who have witnessed firsthand Opus Dei’s deceptive and manipulative practices, it has not been easy watching Opus Dei stage a large public relations campaign in order to dispel the image the book ‘The DaVinci Code” has projected about them. It is equally hard to watch Opus Dei not be honest about their questionable practices. An inaccurate explanation of what exists within Opus Dei is being projected through their public statements and media appearances. The timing of their response to the movie appears highly choreographed and feels more like a high powered Madison Avenue public relations firm is behind all the activity, rather than a “disorganized organization” as Opus Dei has recently portrayed itself.
Recently, high ranking Opus Dei men (no women!) convened in Rome in order to draft a campaign they call “Operation Lemonade,”[1] a light-hearted name that masks the controlled environment that exists within the group. The name does not lend itself to the reality of what Opus Dei truly practices - deceptive recruitment and manipulative control of its membership. “Operation Lemonade” produced three goals: 1. Turn publicity into an opportunity to proselytize; 2. Ally itself with other Catholics (essentially, hide behind the Church); 3. Maintain a non-aggressive tone.[2] In recent weeks, Opus Dei has tried to equate criticism of its organization with criticism of the Catholic Church. An example of how Opus Dei piggybacks itself with the Catholic Church is demonstrated in the statement “According to Brian Finnerty, U.S. Media Relations Director for the Catholic group Opus Dei, the novel [The Da Vinci Code] is a completely inaccurate portrayal of the Catholic Church.”[3] Does that include Opus Dei? To the casual observer Opus Dei could be taken as the Catholic Church.
ODAN does not agree with The DaVinci Code’s depiction of Christianity and does not question the divinity of Christ. However, where the Da Vinci Code is accurate is in its depiction of the blind obedience of the fictional Opus Dei character, Silas the albino monk. His behavior demonstrates the absolute control and obedience that exists in Opus Dei today. Former members have contacted ODAN with stories of pressure exerted by Opus Dei and a culture that demands obedience in every situation. Former members testify that they have been forced by Opus Dei directors to hand over their salaries, abandon past friendships, ignore dubious financial irregularities, turn over their mail to be read (without the senders’ knowledge), aggressively recruit, prepare monthly statistical reports about potential members, and even not attend siblings’ weddings. If they did not go along with what Opus Dei requested of them, in some cases dishonest acts,[4] they were told they risked eternal damnation and some were eventually asked to leave. Members who question Opus Dei practices are reprimanded and often led to the following quote from Opus Dei’s Founder, “If one of my children abandons the fight, or leaves the war, or turns his back, let him know that he betrays us all, Jesus Christ, the Church, his brothers and sisters in the Work…it would be treason to consent to the tiniest act of unfaithfulness…in these moments.” (Cronica, ii, 1972)[5]
A recently posted website, Jesus DeCoded,[6] explains among other things, the inaccuracies in The DaVinci Code regarding Christianity and the divinity of Christ. There is also a section “The Real Opus Dei”[7] by Peter Bancroft, the communications Director for Opus Dei in the United States. He gives his organization’s official description of itself. People who have been deceived, manipulated and hurt by Opus Dei would not agree with his assessment. He uses the opportunity to elevate Opus Dei as a benign organization. Because many uninformed people in regard to Opus Dei will be looking at this website, this Opus Dei spokesperson errs by projecting an image of Opus Dei that is only partially true.
Another source for information about The Da Vinci Code is “The Real History Behind The Da Vinci Code” by medieval scholar and historian Sharan Newman. Written in encyclopedic form alphabetically, there is a section on Opus Dei and ODAN. She reveals historical truths and myths in her book[8]
In the previews of the Da Vinci Code movie, the use of corporal mortification, specifically the discipline[9] (whip) and the cilice[10] (spiked chain) are depicted as violent, bloody acts. The sound magnifies their impact. This is a sensationalistic image and Opus Dei members mostly do not bring this practice to such heights, nor does the average Opus Dei member’s life resemble Silas’. This horrible depiction has given Opus Dei the opportunity to focus on the extremes of the movie and mask the real problems within Opus Dei.
A supernumerary member of Opus Dei recently appeared on a TV program and was asked to give her explanation of the use of corporal mortification within Opus Dei. When asked to comment about the use of the discipline, she said “a few people in Opus Dei just mildly slap it on their back while reciting prayers.”[11] Opus Dei numeraries do not “slap” their backs with the discipline, they hit their buttocks, and describing it as a slap is an attempt to soften the intensity of using it. Continuing she says “only a few people in Opus Dei use corporal mortification”[12]. Not one former numerary member has told ODAN in its 14 years of existence that they were not compelled to use the cilice and discipline. As a supernumerary member of Opus Dei, she does not have accurate information about what a numerary member’s life consists of. That Opus Dei nearly always puts forth supernumerary members for media interviews is in itself a deception. It is yet another example of Opus Dei secrecy and the ways it keeps the general public and even a portion of its members uninformed to what the other part is doing.
On March 22, 2006 Opus Dei launched a revamped web site in 22 languages[13]. On April 16, 2006 it issued a statement through most of their websites requesting a disclaimer on the upcoming film.[14] In an April 6, 2006 letter to Sony Corporation, Opus Dei wrote “Any such decision by Sony would be a gesture of respect toward the figure of Jesus, to the history of the Church and to the religious beliefs of viewers”.[15] The timing has allowed Opus Dei to be the driving force on media coverage prior to the film’s release and mixes criticism of Opus Dei with the Catholic Church. For the general public not familiar with Opus Dei, it would seem that individuals who criticize Opus Dei would also be criticizing the Catholic Church, which is simply not true. In almost fifteen years in existence, ODAN has never seen any significant sign that Opus Dei is open to honest criticism or willing to change harmful practices. In fact, the Founder himself wrote the following, “…as Jesus received his doctrine from the Father, so my doctrine is not mine, but comes from God and so not a jot or tittle shall ever be changed.”[16] The DaVinci Code did not cause Opus Dei’s bad reputation, they earned it themselves a long time ago.
To further demonstrate the depth and scope of criticism of Opus Dei, ODAN has received two separate letters from anonymous parents whose children attend several different Opus Dei schools. Both letters talk about manipulation and Opus Dei’s deceitful tactics: Letter 1[17] and Letter 2[18] They speak of not being able to question anything in Opus Dei without fear of repercussion. The aggressive recruitment that exists in Opus Dei is known far and wide by people who have been hurt by them, but especially at Opus Dei affiliated schools. Some schools do not even admit their ties with Opus Dei.
Joining in the criticism of Opus Dei are two other web sites, the Spanish Opus Libros [19] site located in Spain and the Portuguese Opuslivre[20] located in Brazil. The two websites were created separately from each other and ODAN and provide a critical view of Opus Dei. They provide a much needed connection about Opus Dei’s activity in other parts of the world. They are our sister websites and we welcome their existence. It clearly negates the statement on the part of Opus Dei that there are only a few critics.
Another example of Opus Dei’s dual reality is the case of Dennis Dubro, a former numerary member who has spoken out about Opus Dei’s controlling ways and dishonest practices. In his financial role at an Opus Dei dormitory in Sydney, Australia, Dubro recalls “The accounts were in complete chaos. We didn’t know how much was in the bank. There was money missing. Some account balances were off by hundreds of percents.”[21] (A spokesman for Opus Dei says he is not familiar with the details of this case but that “nobody was trying to cheat anyone.”)[22] How can the Opus Dei spokesperson know that nobody was trying to cheat anyone when he did not know the details of the case? Is it because Opus Dei makes blanket statements about their activity and will not admit wrongdoing? If anything, this statement by an Opus Dei spokesperson reveals Opus Dei’s true unhealthy nature and its inability to be truthful and honest about itself.
In John Allen’s book about Opus Dei, he states “think of it (Opus Dei) as the Guinness Extra Stout of the Catholic Church. It’s a strong brew, definitely an acquired taste, and clearly not for everyone.”[23] Yes, Opus Dei may seem to be a Stout Beer, but think of this possibility; it has purposely changed the label on its drink to something else, all the while keeping its true contents secret.
Jesus did not lie nor was He secretive about His ministry while He walked on earth. In John 18:20, Jesus answers His critics “I have spoken openly to the world…I have said nothing in secret.” His ministry was out in the open for all to see. When can we say the same about Opus Dei?
Opus Dei Awareness Network, Inc. May 10, 2006
and your post #13
Um, give me a clue here...how is posting those photos of Opus Dei materials bad? Unless of course you consider self torture bad. But that would mean you disagree with Opus Dei, which would make you bad, according to your post attacking me.
What a quandary you have.
The article posted, innocently or otherwise, by fishtank is anti-Catholic trash. That the article favorably cites one John Allen towards the end as though he had anything to do with legitimate Catholicism is a serious tipoff. He is the major figure writing for the despicably misnamed "National Catholic Reporter" which also publishes the likes of former Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee, a lavender queen and personal predator, and Mad Monk of Milwaukee. National "Catholic" Reporter is the flagship of Kumbaya moral relativism posing as Catholic.
Another tipoff is the fact that the Founder of Opus Dei is quoted without pointing out the inconvenient (to anti-Catholics) fact that the Founder is Saint Jose Maria Escriva (canonized by Pope Paul II) and that Opus Dei received the very rare distinction of being a "personal prelature" of the pope from John Paul II.
Then we have the usual overdeveloped whine of those who could not hack it when they discovered that Catholicism and the "Enlightenment" amorality are clean different things. "I gotta be me!!!" is not a Catholic slogan.
Physical penance is not my personal cup of tea. Apparently it isn't yours either. You aren't required to petition for membership in Opus Dei and neither am I. Nonetheless, I tend to agree strongly with Bornacatholic's #19's use of the old Bob Dylan line: Don't criticize what you (clearly) don't understand.
In the 16th Century, there arose from the extraordinary spirituality, brilliance and piety of St. Ignatius Loyola a company of men known as the Society of Jesus (or Jesuits or God's Marines) to combat the reformation in its infancy. In the beginning and on many occasions since then, the work of St. Ignatius and his brethren shone more brightly in the service of God and His Church than almost any other. In subsequent centuries, the goodness of the Society of Jesus waxed and waned. Once it was suppressed by the papacy for many decades (although one of its major distnctions has always been its Fourth Vow: Fealty to the Pope) more recently massacred more often than obeyed. The Jebbies whose order educated me at the prep school level deserve again in these times to be suppressed.
Jesus Christ will not abandon His Church as He guaranteed He would not in the Peter passage of Matthew (it was in all the Bibles). He has raised up at least three contemporary organizations to do the work once done by the Jesuits and this time the targets are known to us as secular humanism: Opus Dei, Legionaries of Christ and Communion and Liberation. Each has a strong lay element. Each has a highly developed spirituality. None needs its members to redefine for themselves (based upon the individual idiosyncracies of each member) the spirituality at the core of each of those groups.
Opus Dei is the product of a saintly priest who personally lived through the communist persecutions of Catholicism and Catholics in Spain under the "Republican" government which sent its armies to rape and murder nuns and to martyr most Spanish priests and seminarians. St. Jose Maria Escriva knew exactly what he was doing, as did the Mexican Cristeros and others of their time.
I have attended Opus Dei retreats without being a member or ever expressing an interest in being a member. One was run by the priest who converted Lew Lehrman, Sam Brownback and Robert Novak (among others) to Catholicism. The retreats I attended were utterly Catholic and of great spiritual assistance in my professional work on behalf of arrested pro-lifers.
Finally, if you have read this far, two men were crucified with Jesus Christ. They were thieves. The not-so-good thief challenged Jesus to prove that He was the Son of God by taking Himself off the cross, taking His fellow victims of crucifixion off their crosses and making the Roman authorities like it. Dismas, the Good Thief, told the other thief: Have you no respect even at a time like this? The sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross in atonement for each and every one of your sins, my sins and everyone else's sins has confounded mere humanity for as long as we have been aware of what He did for us. Cynics might say that He was engaging in self-torture. Catholics will not and neither should any Christian.
As another poster suggested above, Opus Dei must be very good because it is hated by so very many that are opposed to good. That is not a personal attack on you or any other poster here. Your motives are known to you and not to me. You may well be benignly wrong.
May God bless and keep your delightful two-year-old pictured on your homepage.
You have clearly chosen to believe the absolute worse about this order. You have chosen to ignore or turn a deaf ear to those fellow freepers who have had a direct and very positive experience with Opus Dei. You have been repeatedly told the charges made by this group are factually wrong in some instances. Yet, you chose to think the worse.
I suppose that is what a Chritian does. He believes the worst about other Christians.
I have already posted for you that what is under discussion is PENITENTIAL acts, not self-torture. That you call it such even after having been informed about the practice indicates to me you are an antiCatholic bigot anxious to think the worse of a brother Christian.
"Opus Dei tightly controls the lives of its members, especially the numerary members who pledge celibacy and typically live in Opus Dei residences. The following are some examples of the controls placed on Opus Dei numeraries, which are part of the "spirit of Opus Dei:"
Opus Dei numeraries are expected to hand over their entire salaries to Opus Dei, and generally may not hold their own bank accounts. The numeraries are told to use money as if they were the mother in charge of a large and poor family. They ask for the money they need each week and are then required to report how it was spent to the penny. Opus Dei does not provide any financial report that indicates how the members' money is spent.
Both incoming and outgoing personal mail is generally read by the Directors of each Opus Dei residence, without the knowledge or consent of family and friends.
Reading material is strictly controlled, as are television viewing, listening to the radio, and other forms of recreation and entertainment.
Opus Dei numeraries notify their Directors of (and secure permission for) their comings and goings.
Opus Dei numeraries are required to practice corporal mortification such as the use of a cilice (a spiked chain worn around the thigh), flagellation, and sleeping on the floor or on boards.
Opus Dei numeraries are required to confess weekly and are strongly discouraged from confessing to a non-Opus Dei priest.
Opus Dei numeraries typically may not attend events which are not conducive to proselytizing, such as athletic games, theater, concerts, movies, etc. In the rare instances when they may attend these events, permission must be secured from the Opus Dei directors.
Opus Dei members are enjoined to confess even their slightest doubts to Opus Dei priests and/or Spiritual Directors; otherwise, "the mute devil takes over in the soul."
Alienation From Families
Communication to family about involvement with Opus Dei is limited and even discouraged.
Opus Dei teaches individuals (despite their ages) that it is acceptable and even advantageous to leave parents and loved ones out of the decision-making process because "they will not understand." Most parents learn of their child's lifetime commitment to Opus Dei months and even years later. Many times, parents do not realize their children have joined because the numeraries are told to remain in university residences and do not move into centers designated exclusively for numeraries, so as not to raise any suspicions. Gradually, the bond of trust between child and parent is broken.
Display of pictures of loved ones is discouraged, not by rule, but by subtle example.
Revised November 16, 2003"
Jesus paid it all.
It is an insult to Christ to think that one needs to perform these acts for either sanctification or remembrance.
Sorry, my encounters with Opus Dei have been highly positive.
Dear Nihil Obstat,
I always get a real kick out of the whole secrecy thingy. Opus Dei "openly" runs a private Catholic school in Montgomery County, Maryland. Not a very good way to maintain that ol' secrecy.
sitetest
Dear Full Court,
I didn't asked to be on any ping list of yours. Please don't ping me in the future.
Thank you,
sitetest
Indeed Jesus did pay it all. Don't get me wrong, I would never advocate the use of a fishook thigh bracelet, but I do wonder what you, who is obviously Protestant, would think of what St. Paul said.
Now I know that the KJV translators changed this statement of St. Paul's, but other Protestant translators have not.
1 Corinthians 9:27 (New International Version) New International Version)
"No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
Darby Translation:"But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest [after] having preached to others I should be myself rejected."
Young's Literal Translation:"but I chastise my body, and bring [it] into servitude, lest by any means, having preached to others -- I myself may become disapproved."
American Standard Version:"but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected."
Catholic Douay Rheims:"But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway."
A second point I would like to make, I know members of Opus Dei and have found them to be very holy, nice people. I am not saying that what the members of Odan claim isn't true, but I could very easily grab some torturous looking devices, put them up on the internet and say that these were used on me during a ritual performed by Protestant FreeMasons.
The passages you mention are certainly important. I think that a life of ease and gluttony is contrary to those passages, but the cilice is very close to body modification, scarring, cutting and piercings.
"...and say that these were used on me during a ritual performed by Protestant FreeMasons."
Scary. Especially since FreeMasonry denies Christ.
Inquiring minds wonder why the villain in this movie is an albino assissin working for the Pope, which also happens to have been a character in the innocuous movie Foul Play, (Chevy Chase and Goldie hawn comedic murder mystery circa mid 70s)
I am not going to dis-annul the experience of people who have been involved in-depth in the group. No matter what reason you give me for doing so. These people know what happened, they were there.
Since Catholics don't know if they are saved or not, you can't rightly call yourself a Christian, can you?
And since I don't believe that self torture is Biblical, you can not rightly call me a bigot now can you?
Save the self pretense for someone who is interested, because I am not.
That does not seem as innocent as it reads?
'sounds like a heads up warning - I know about your kid -
That's chilling - but if anyone says anything, the response will be complete innocence - but I wouldn't buy it -
I agree with you maine-iac7.
That comment is just a bit icky.
Apologies?
I'm amazed and truly perplexed. What a crazy world we live in.
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