The DaVinci Code, which is one of the best-selling
books of modern time, brought attention to
a little known Catholic institution - Opus
Dei.
But many would argue that the book negatively
and falsely portrays the real intentions of
the institution.
So what is Opus Dei really like?
Opus Dei means, “work of God” in Latin.
It was founded in 1928, in Madrid, by the
Catholic Priest, Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer.
It follows all the practices of Catholicism,
with the additional stipulation that members
should actively endeavor to be saint-like
in their day-to-day lives.
And although Escriva’s ideas caused an initial
stir, Opus Dei has since been accepted within
the Holy Roman Catholic Church as their first
and ONLY “personal prelature”.
This means that instead of being a part of
the mainstream Catholic church’s hierarchy,
Opus Dei members are instead under the jurisdiction
of the highest Opus Dei priest - who is confirmed
by the Pope.
In 2002, Opus Dei’s founder was canonized
by Pope John Paul II after a number of bishops
petitioned for his sainthood.
Escriva was declared an official Catholic
Saint because of his reported ability to cure
rare diseases in people.
Currently, members of Opus Dei number around
90,000, and most live in Spain.
Membership is also divided into categories.
The two main ones are “Supernumeraries”
and “Numeraries”.
Most members are Supernumeraries, and have
relatively normal lives and families.
 The more ascetic followers are Numeraries,
who comprise about 20% of Opus Dei.
These members remain celibate, and contribute
most of their time and money to the church.
But in recent years, Opus Dei has been criticized,
and called “cult-like”.
Some ex-numeraries claim to have been taken
advantage of, and forced to renounce personal
freedoms.
 Additionally, Opus Dei’s portrayal in
popular culture has painted their followers
as taking part in self-flagellation and being
overly secretive.
But Opus Dei members deny this, and most are
open about their membership.
One of their main duties is evangelizing,
or spreading the word of Catholicism.
And despite reports to the contrary, self-flagellation,
and other body mortification may be extremely
rare or exaggerated.
The same is true of cilices, which are worn
to cause discomfort and remember penance to
God.
Today, despite criticism, Opus Dei enjoys
the vocal support of two previous Popes, and
a number of public figures, reportedly including
the British politician, Ruth Kelly.
Although the number of Opus Dei members, compared
to the overall Catholic following constitutes
less than a percentage point, the offshoot
of Catholicism has significant clout for a
relatively new religious sect.
CTA
The capital of Catholicism, and the Pope,
both can be found on the Italian peninsula
in a strange but powerful micronation the
Vatican.
To learn more about this interesting place,
check out our video here.
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