Opus Dei contests charges of malfeasance in author’s new book

Opus Dei founder St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer in Mexico in 1970. / Credit: Opus Dei/Flickr

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 14, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Opus Dei, the nearly century-old Rome-based personal prelature, has released a lengthy response to the October 2024 book “Opus,” accusing the book of giving “a false picture of Opus Dei based on distorted facts, conspiracy theories, and outright lies.”

The book, written by journalist Gareth Gore, describes Opus Dei as “a secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic sect” that “pushed its radical agenda within the Church and around the globe, using billions of dollars siphoned from one of the world’s largest banks.”

In a comprehensive analysis of the book published on Monday, Jan. 13, the Catholic organization — which was founded in 1928 by St. Josemaría Escrivá — said it provided Gore with “broad cooperation” while he researched the work, including offering “abundant documents and materials” and “many hours openly answering questions.”

Nonetheless, the group said “not a single good deed by anyone in Opus Dei is recorded; not a single response from Opus Dei is included to the many charges leveled against Opus Dei in the book.” 

Members of Opus Dei’s worldwide communications team indicated that “when we saw the marked bias of the book and its numerous factual errors, those of us who had been in contact with Gareth Gore from the Opus Dei Communications Office decided to prepare a document” to “correct the record and to provide an essential perspective that the author has withheld from readers of the book.”

“We have tried to separate truth from falsehood; to distinguish truths, half-truths, lies, and judgments and interpretations about intentions; to clarify false narratives by giving context and additional explanations,” the team of Opus Dei’s communicators explained.

The resulting 106-page document of “clarifications and fact-checking” effectively seeks to turn lemons into lemonade by addressing in one place all the principal criticisms Opus Dei has received during its nearly century of existence.

“We offer this document with a necessary premise: respect and openness towards critical views, which can usually be helpful,” the document states. “No human institution is perfect” and “being the bearer of a Christian charism does not grant immunity from error,” the authors acknowledge.

“Like other institutions of the Catholic Church, for years we have been following a path of greater awareness of our own weaknesses, which leads to a deeper empathy with wounded people and gives us new sensitivity and light on how to carry out our mission,” the authors continue. “For these reasons, we endeavour to listen to and learn from both fair and constructive criticism, as well as criticism that is neither fair nor constructive.”

Along with the explanatory document, Opus Dei updated its website to include a section on “Additional Sources for Clarification” that addresses both old and more recent controversies surrounding the organization.