Word: dei
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Among these are Catholic liberals and an outspoken band of disillusioned Opus dropouts. Some detractors refer to the secretive organization as "the Holy Mafia," or "Octopus Dei." One prominent seceder, Oxford Researcher John Roche, has collected 1,500 case histories of disenchanted Opus members that he hopes to present to John Paul this year. Says Roche: "He may see Opus Dei as a counterpoise to the left in the church, but I don't think he has any idea of what is going...
Perhaps because Opus members are typically reticent about their affiliation and many internal matters of the organization, the movement is constantly knocking down wild, unsubstantiated ru mors about its supposed immense wealth and power. Even within the Vatican, there is disagreement about Opus Dei, al though three top-ranking Cardinals are counted among its strong supporters. One veteran official in Rome says there is "a sharp division" at his congregation (a Vatican Cabinet ministry) between defenders of Opus Dei and doubters. He guesses the doubters are a slight majority...
Such unique status is appropriate, for there is nothing in Catholicism quite like Opus Dei. Its membership includes both men and women, though in separated branches. It includes priests, but more significant, it makes demands of its laity more often associated with priests and nuns. Yet it is not a religious order, since its lay members hold secular jobs. It is both highly centralized and decentralized: men's and women's General Councils in Rome, appointed by Del Portillo, set policy and assign national directors, but chapters in each nation plan and finance their own operations...
There are three categories within Opus Dei. The leaders are the university-educated "numeraries," about 30% of the total membership, who make commitments to lifelong celibacy and obedience, turn over their secular incomes, live in communities and take all the course work needed to be priests, although few are ordained. "Associates" (20%) are celibate but do not live in communities or do advanced theological study. "Supernumeraries" (50%) are not celibate and follow modified commitments. Each category contains roughly equal numbers of men and women. There are also 700,000 "cooperators," like 1972 Vice-Presidential Nominee Sargent Shriver...
Mortification, an ancient Catholic tradition, was well known in Spam when Opus Dei was born. It was in Madrid, on Oct. 2, 1928, that Hospital Chaplain Escrivá received an instantaneous vision of the Opus Dei concept as church bells began to ring. Escrivá's idea, a reaction to the priest-dominated Spanish church, was to encourage the laity to play an important role in the church. "God led me by the hand," he said later. "Quietly, little by little, until his castle was built." Escrivá moved his headquarters to Rome in 1946 to make the movement...