Opus Dei: The Secrets and Scandals of an Influential Organisation
By 50MINUTES
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About this ebook
50Minutes.com provides a clear and engaging analysis of Opus Dei. Founded with the mission of promoting Christian values in secular life, Opus Dei began to adopt an increasingly radical viewpoint as the Church tentatively modernised its practices after the Second Vatican Council. Still in existence today and comprising nearly 100 000 members, Opus Dei remains shrouded in mystery and scandal, particularly regarding some of its more controversial practices and the rumours provoked by popular culture.
In just 50 minutes you will:
• Learn Opus Dei’s complete history, including its unlikely survival following the exile of its founder from Spain
• Understand the organisation’s rise to prominence after finding favour with John Paul II and taking a firm traditionalist stance against innovation in the Church following the Second Vatican Council
• Discover the secrecy and scandal surrounding Opus Dei and its controversial practices, including mortification
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Opus Dei - 50MINUTES
The secrets of Opus Dei
Key information
Date founded: 2 October 1928.
Official objectives: to evangelise and to encourage everyone to be holy in their everyday lives.
Unstated objectives: to increase their influence in the Catholic Church, contain the theological change symbolised by the Second Vatican Council and promote the Christianisation of society through political and economic alliances.
Most prominent members:
Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, Spanish prelate and founder of Opus Dei (1902-1975).
Álvaro del Portillo, Spanish prelate, Secretary General of Opus Dei and Escrivá’s successor (1914-1994).
Introduction
Since its creation in 1928, Opus Dei (Latin for ‘Work of God’, also known as ‘the Work’) has regularly been the subject of controversy and rumour, particularly due to its secretive nature and the influence it is considered to have, whether or not this is correct, over the Catholic Church and the Pope himself. And for good reason: in the 1950s, according to the regulations of the institution itself, its members were forbidden from revealing that they belonged to the Work without the authorisation of a superior, while a decade earlier they had been advised not to discuss the organisation with non-members. Repeatedly accused of being an elitist and secretive organisation, implicated in various financial and political scandals, Opus Dei certainly stimulates curiosity.
Currently, however, Opus Dei has nearly 90 000 members, which represents only 0.008% of the Catholic population worldwide. While that might seem low, its influence over the Roman Curia is real, whatever its leaders might say. While it is completely detached from the ecclesiastical hierarchy and only