Da Vinci Code Boosts Opus Dei Numbers

THE controversial religious organisation lambasted in the blockbuster movie and book The Da Vinci Code has revealed that membership inquiries have soared in the past year.

The film and book portray Opus Dei as a murderous and secretive cult within the Roman Catholic church. Despite this negative view, membership applications have increased tenfold.

The film, based on the book by Dan Brown and starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, centres on the controversial theory that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and that the two had a child.

Opus Dei is portrayed as a ruthless suppressor of the truth, using any method - including murder - to protect the church. But Opus Dei's website insists their primary aim is to encourage spirituality in every area of members' lives.

Jack Valera, Opus Dei's UK spokesman, said: "We're getting 10 times more enquiries than we would normally get. Over the last two months, as the hype for the film has built up, we have had about 50 inquiries a month about membership. We would normally get about three or four a month.

"Some have mentioned the book or the film in their e-mails. It's quite surprising, and I believe it's down to the publicity surrounding the run-up to the film."

Valera added: "I did go to see the film - that was not for pleasure but professionally. I watched it under sufferance. It was gruesome to us, much nastier than in the book, in my view. And again it was so boring, it was far too long, at least half an hour too much. After all the hype I expected something a bit better."

Claire McDonald, an Opus Dei member in Glasgow, said: "My husband and I went along to see because we thought: 'We're in Opus Dei; we might as well know what's in the film.' I thought we might be able to enjoy a thriller even if it was disparaging Opus Dei. But it was boring; it was even worse than Gladiator."

The generally poor reception the film has received from critics has meant that the Catholic Church in Scotland has decided that its media spokesman does not need to check out the movie for its top churchmen.

The church's spokesman, Peter Kearney, said: "This was one of my tasks, to check out the film. But after seeing how critical the reviews have been, we've decided that I don't need to go now. It's obvious that critics don't think much of it."

Opus Dei, whose name means Work of God in Latin, was founded in 1928 by a Spanish priest named Josemaria Escriva.

He wanted to extend the spiritual boost people receive from Sunday worship through the rest of the week. Although his ideas were initially frowned on by the church hierarchy, Catholic leaders later embraced the organisation and Escriva was made a saint in 2002.

A member of Opus Dei would be expected to go to Mass every day, and also read a portion of Scripture and of an uplifting religious book each day.

In addition, a member should attend an evening meeting during the week for prayer and reflection and have a one-to-one spiritual chat with a more senior member of the organisation.

A spokeswoman for Sony, the distributors of the film, said: "We don't have a comment."

http://www.opusdei.us/art.php?p=16610

"I am indebted to Dan Brown"

Andrea Ermini is 28 and works in Florence, in Italy. A year and a half ago he read the "Da Vinci Code" and was surprised by the picture it gives of Opus Dei. He made enquiries and... now has joined the institution. "Thanks to Dan Brown," he says, "I have rediscovered the beauty of the faith."

May 12, 2006

Andrea Ermini works in a company in Florence in human resources.

Having read the "Da Vinci Code" he was surprised at his harsh description of Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church. "I found it suspicious and decided to make enquiries", he says.

How did you discover Opus Dei?

Andrea: It happened a year and a half ago. After reading the "Da Vinci Code", I was surprised that some critics should say Opus Dei was a "strange Catholic organisation", using brainwashing to recruit new members, secrecy and masochistic practices. That sounded rather odd and I decided to check up myself. It seemed absurd that the Church could approve of such an organisation.

I began in the easiest way possible, going to Google. I found the Opus Dei website straightaway. Then, my curiosity aroused, I bought a book by the Opus Dei founder, St Josemaría. It was "The Way", a book of spiritual reflections. I read it in one go.

What was your Catholic faith like at the time?

Andrea: I guess I would go to Mass a couple of times a year, at Christmas and Easter. Though I wasn't practising much, I really did appreciate the Pope and the Catholic Church in general.

What happened next?

Andrea: My initial curiosity turned into a much deeper journey of conversion. At that time I saw the faith as a bit old fashioned, which wouldn't fit into my life, but was more suited to old ladies who had time to say the Rosary all day.

But the expression "sanctify work and ordinary life" really attracted me. It made an impact. Besides, the direct style of "The Way", where it seems that St Josemaría is actually speaking to you, helped me to think things over.

Through the Internet, I found out that Opus Dei has set up things like the ELIS workers centre in Rome and the IESE business school in Barcelona. The idea that you could connect Christian living with work in a business school or with the most ordinary type of manual work really caught my imagination.

In the end I decided to send an e-mail to the Opus Dei website to make direct contact. I was given the address of a centre in Florence, my own town, the Accademia dei Ponti and I began to have spiritual guidance with a priest and got to know other members of Opus Dei.

And after that?

Andrea: I began to pray more often and to go to different meetings of Christian formation organised by Opus Dei: we had monthly recollections and every week a talk about some aspect of the faith or a virtue to be practised. On 1 November 2005 I became a Cooperator of Opus Dei and on 13 May last I joined the Work.

The most radical change was when I discovered that I had to look after my "spiritual life" and that I could do so by realising that God is accompanying me every moment of the day. For some time I have been going to Mass daily and saying the Rosary. This helps me to keep my bearings and cheers me up as I go about my daily work.

So what do you think of the "Da Vinci Code"?

Andrea: To be honest if it hadn't been for Dan Brown, I wouldn't have rediscoverd the beauty of the faith and my vocation. Perhaps God would have found other ways to get to me, no doubt, but for me that it began with an enigma: a dark and sinister description of the Catholic Church. There's no question about it: I am greatly indebted to Dan Brown. And perhaps I'm not the only one...

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