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  Huge Crowds as Pope Makes Saint of Opus Dei Founder
Reuters News Service ^ | October 6, 2002 | Shasta Darlington

Posted on 10/06/2002 3:06:58 PM PDT by NYer

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul made a saint Sunday of Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, the controversial founder of the conservative Roman Catholic group Opus Dei, before one of the biggest crowds ever to flood the Vatican.

About 300,000 soberly dressed pilgrims from 80 countries filled St. Peter's Square and spilled into surrounding piazzas for the ceremony in front of Christendom's largest church.

"We declare the blessed Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer a saint and include him in the annals of saints," the gold-robed Pope said, reading from a Latin formula.

He urged the faithful to follow in Escriva's footsteps and seek God in everyday life.

Escriva is the 468th saint proclaimed by Pope John Paul, who has declared more saints than all of his predecessors in the last four centuries combined.

Thousands of pilgrims turned out for the canonization of the Spanish priest who taught that Catholics could be saints by living completely ordinary lives and seeking holiness in everything they did, whether as a banker or a baker.

Escriva founded Opus Dei, which means "God's Work," in Spain in 1928. There are now 1,800 Opus Dei priests. The rest of the 84,000 members worldwide are ordinary Catholics, many of them professionals.

"For me he was important, as he managed to bring holiness into everyday life, he showed that we can all be saints," said Maria Siera Ramillan, who traveled from Spain for the ceremony.

CONTROVERSIAL SAINT

But in the years leading up to Escriva's 1992 beatification -- the last step before sainthood -- Opus Dei was frequently accused of having a dangerous, secret, fundamentalist agenda.

The group appears to have gradually opened up to outsiders, and even past critics have acknowledged that.

One of those who continue to criticize Opus Dei is Kenneth Woodward, author of the book "Making Saints -- How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn't, and Why."

Recently he wrote that Opus Dei's "wealth and influence have silenced most opponents...even admirers know little about the inner workings of this shadowy Church within the Church."

Supporters say the group is simply misunderstood.

Part of the controversy surrounding Opus Dei is that some of its lay members make commitments similar to the vows taken by priests and nuns, even though they work at ordinary jobs.

Sunday, the group's conservative nature was evident as huge crowds, many from Spain and Latin America, calmly made their way into St. Peter's Square.

The pilgrims' mood was markedly different from those at the canonisation of mystic Italian monk Padre Pio in June, when fireworks, street hawkers and loud cheers were the norm.

FAVORED BY POPE

Escriva died in 1975 and by 1992 was declared a "blessed" of the Church -- in record speed at the time, due in great part to the Pope's streamlining of the sainthood process.

The Pontiff has shown Opus Dei great favor. His spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls is one of the group's best-known members.

"The daily life of a Christian who has faith, when he works or rests, prays or sleeps, in all moments is a life in which God is always present," the Pope said Sunday, citing Escriva.

The ceremony lured many Italian luminaries, including the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Rome's mayor and deputy prime minister, Gianfranco Fini.

Manuel Nevado Rey, a Spanish doctor whose recovery from a debilitating skin disease was judged by the Vatican to be a miracle achieved through Escriva's intercession, was also expected to attend.

To reach out to the huge crowd, the 82-year-old Pontiff was driven down the long avenue from St. Peter's to the river and back.


TOPICS: Activism; Apologetics; Catholic; Current Events; Ecumenism; General Discusssion; Ministry/Outreach; Prayer; Religion & Culture; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: canonization; catholicchurch; opusdei; pope; saint; vatican
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1 posted on 10/06/2002 3:06:58 PM PDT by NYer
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To: Siobhan; american colleen; sinkspur; Lady In Blue; Salvation; Polycarp; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; ...
"The daily life of a Christian who has faith, when he works or rests, prays or sleeps, in all moments is a life in which God is always present," the Pope said Sunday, citing Escriva.

Truly a comforting thought in these times. Many of the catholics I know, have never heard of The Divine Mercy, much less EWTN, nor are they aware of any "controversies" in the church. Shocking? Yes! Cradle catholics are oftentimes like sheeples.

2 posted on 10/06/2002 3:10:39 PM PDT by NYer
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To: NYer; sinkspur
Oh brother,St. Jose Maria Escriva is just so pre-Vat II.Imagine thinking that Catholics should bring God into their everyday life and can live upstanding moral lives and in so doing bring all mankind to God through Christ.What turnip truck did he fall off of and when?Too bad he died and hasn't been able to avail himself of Sinkspur's threads containing articles from the "people who really know".I bet he would regret his backward thinking!!(sarcasm off)

NYer,I'm so happy you posted this thanks.

Sinkspur,I pinged you just so you don't think I talk behind your back.

3 posted on 10/06/2002 3:40:10 PM PDT by saradippity
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To: NYer
Thanks for posting this! I love the way the writer couldn't resist making the whole thing sound somewhat suspect, dubious and even gloomy. Another PO'd liberal, I'd say.

I have a Spanish friend who is a numerary who has been in Rome all week. When he gets back to Spain, he'll give me a full report and I'll let you all know if there are any interesting details in his account.
4 posted on 10/06/2002 4:07:47 PM PDT by livius
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To: livius; NYer
I agree with the questionable tone of the article. This is about the third article this week that has referred to Pope John Paul II beatifying more saints than any other pope.

It makes me wonder why someone who is not Catholic even cares one way or the other. Sounds like the liberal writers have an agenda.......anything to put the Catholic Church and our Pontiff in the murky shadow of suspicion.

We need saints now more than ever.

God bless and thanks for the post.

EODGUY
5 posted on 10/06/2002 4:37:30 PM PDT by EODGUY
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To: NYer
The canonization process was bogus. So is this so-called saint.
6 posted on 10/06/2002 4:58:43 PM PDT by ultima ratio
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To: NYer
"The daily life of a Christian who has faith, when he works or rests, prays or sleeps, in all moments is a life in which God is always present."

Such platitudes are a dime a dozen. Your citing it doesn't make it less so.
7 posted on 10/06/2002 5:04:44 PM PDT by ultima ratio
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To: NYer
I am listening to the homily on EWTN right now.
8 posted on 10/06/2002 5:10:11 PM PDT by Salvation
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To: saradippity
Sinkspur is wrong on a lot, but not on this one. Escriva was no saint. The doctors who verified his "miracles" were Opus Dei physicians. No witnesses who actually knew him were allowed to testify to anything negative. The process was falsified to accommodate Opus Dei from start to finish. This is another Vatican disgrace--and still more proof Rome is clueless. Not only has the emperor no clothes, the saint has no halo.
9 posted on 10/06/2002 5:11:06 PM PDT by ultima ratio
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To: livius
It IS suspect.
10 posted on 10/06/2002 5:11:50 PM PDT by ultima ratio
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To: ultima ratio
Everything is completely now that you have shown up to excrete toxic waste all over the Lord's work.
11 posted on 10/06/2002 5:14:05 PM PDT by Siobhan
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To: saradippity; NYer
Check out the Reflections on the daily Readings; many are written by Blessed Josemaria Escriva. Now they will have to change their text to St. Josemaria Escriva. Very orthodox reflections. The Navarre Bible is a standard for the Church and recommended by Father Corapi in his series on The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
12 posted on 10/06/2002 5:14:16 PM PDT by Salvation
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To: EODGUY
The Pope put himself under a cloud of suspicion. The fix was in and everybody knows it. It is a falsehood to declare such a man as this a saint.
13 posted on 10/06/2002 5:14:32 PM PDT by ultima ratio
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To: ultima ratio
Please spare us your crap du jour.
14 posted on 10/06/2002 5:14:55 PM PDT by Siobhan
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To: Siobhan; ultima ratio
Please spare us

I repeat your words, Siobhan, thank you.

15 posted on 10/06/2002 5:17:02 PM PDT by Salvation
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To: ultima ratio
Sinkspur is wrong on a lot, but not on this one. Escriva was no saint.

Actually, I've never said that. I don't know enough about Escriva to make an informed judgment one way or another. I know a couple of ex-Opus Dei folks, however, so my opinion would likely be biased.

16 posted on 10/06/2002 5:20:23 PM PDT by sinkspur
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To: Siobhan
The toxic waste is coming out of Rome. The canonization process was phony pure and simple and it insults every genuine saint ever honored by the Catholic Church in prior ages. Opus Dei had control from start to finish--which made the outcome certain, despite a mountain of evidence Escriva was neither heroic in virtue nor worthy of this honor. This is about as outrageous and ridiculous as this Pope gets--and remember, he has kissed the Koran and worshipped alongside witchdoctors. No wonder the Church is imploding before our very eyes.
17 posted on 10/06/2002 5:23:40 PM PDT by ultima ratio
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To: ultima ratio
Do you write hack conspiracy mysteries for a living? Your extreme mischaracterization of events is certainly colorful but hopelessly inaccurate. Adieu.
18 posted on 10/06/2002 5:26:04 PM PDT by Siobhan
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To: Salvation
So what if Escriva's reflections are orthodox, for heaven's sake. Isn't that the least we should expect of any priest? Does this make him worthy of canonization? Where's the "heroic virtue"? Where's the suffering for Christ? Where's the humility? Where's the love for the poor? He was known to have been dishonest, he loved worldly luxuries and honors, he was short-tempered with subordinates and turned away the poor. He sucked up to the rich and famous. What's to emulate?
19 posted on 10/06/2002 5:28:54 PM PDT by ultima ratio
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To: Siobhan
How do I mischaracterize Escriva? A woman who served as his secretary has testified he called her a whore, a pig, and said someone "should pull her panties down" and give her a good spanking. There were other witnesses to such foul outbursts, to his dishonesty, to his indifference toward the poor. His "miracles" were bogus--accredited by Opus Dei physicians only--and the process was expedited, eliminating all negative witnesses. None were allowed to be heard. None. Zilch. If this guy's a saint, I'm an angel. But worse than this, is what this "canonization" says about this pope. It removes all doubt from my mind that he has been a bad pope.
20 posted on 10/06/2002 5:44:17 PM PDT by ultima ratio
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