Directory of Opus Dei Resources

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Criticism of Opus Dei. "Opus Dei" is Latin for "Work of God." Opus Dei is a unique organization in the Catholic Church. It is the only personal prelature in the world--something between a religious order and a worldwide diocese. Opus Dei purports to promote lay spirituality, but critics say it is secretive, elitist, harmful, and even cult-like.

Resources in This Category

• "Inside the Hell of Opus Dei": Book lifts cowl on 'misogynist' Opus Dei

  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1568302/Book-lifts-cowl-on-misogynist-Opus-Dei.html
  Defector tells of threats and humiliation she suffered during 13 years in secret sect. From The Telegraph, UK. [RSS]

• A creepy scrape with the Da Vinci Code set

  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3635222/A-creepy-scrape-with-the-Da-Vinci-Code-set.html
  Before he knew it, Damian Thompson had learnt some unsavoury truths about the Catholic sect – and become one of its 'secret enemies'. The Telegraph, UK.

• An inside look at Opus Dei

  http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2005/s1518645.htm
  For such a small group, Opus Dei is a huge source of intrigue. A glimpse at the most controversial group in Catholicism. From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

• Ancien Régime Meets High Finance in Opus Dei

  http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1998d/102398/102398l.htm
  Book review of "Their Kingdom Come." [National Catholic Reporter]

• BBC - Religion & Ethics - Opus Dei

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/opusdei.shtml
  Opus Dei is a Catholic organisation which encourages its members to promote their faith through their jobs and everyday lives. The organisation has been accused of being secretive and elitist and has recently had publicity because of its role in 'The Da Vinci Code' novel.

• Bookreview: Their Kingdom Come

  http://www.irishresistancebooks.com/reviews/opusdei.htm
  Review of Robert Hutchinson's book.

• Brownback for President

  http://www.beyondchron.org/notes-from-my-purple-state-brownback-for-president/
  In 1996, Brownback fell under the spell of Rev. John McCloskey, an anchor at the right-wing Catholic organization Opus Dei. He was baptized a Catholic “not in a church but in a chapel tucked between lobbyists' offices on K Street that is run by Opus Dei." From BeyondChron.

• Club Class

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/clubclass/pip/ufnn8/
  Simon Cox gains access to the hidden world of Opus Dei, one of the most mysterious and controversial clubs in the world, to separate the fact from the fiction. To their critics, they are a secretive elite cult who brainwash their members, control the Vatican and have tentacles reaching into governments all over the world. From BBC Radio 4. Requires RealPlayer.

• Duceppe assails Tory candidate's Opus Dei affiliation

  http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/496083
  A candidate for the Canadian parliament is revealed to be a member of the Opus Dei cult. From The Toronto Star.

• Ex-Opus Dei Members Decry Blind Obedience

  http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1856656&page=1
  It's been more than 15 years since Tammy DiNicola left Opus Dei, but she still tries to raise awareness about the secretive and conservative Roman Catholic group. From ABC News, USA.

• Forget Scientology, how about Opus Dei

  http://www.today.com/id/12805511
  Thanks to the fervor over “The Da Vinci Code,”, this close-knit Catholic movement is the only fringe religious group that is also a household name. From NBC News.

• Hardball with Chris Matthews

  http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8160121/
  Transcript from show about Opus Dei, including observations from an anti-cult expert and Catholics who have been severely harmed but the cult. From NBC News.

• Opus Dei

  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1151206
  NPR's religion reporter Duncan Moon delves into the criticisms of Opus Dei. 4 minutes 50 seconds in length. RealAudio file. [All Things Considered]

• Opus Dei

  http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A845732
  Essay from the Earth Edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

• Opus Dei and the Pope

  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4576620
  Members of the conservative Roman Catholic group Opus Dei occupy leadership positions throughout the church. The late Pope John Paul II made the founder a saint in 2004. But critics of the movement accuse Opus Dei of unscrupulous brainwashing. From NPR; requires RealPlayer.

• Opus Dei as a Political Force in Post Cold War Latin America

  http://www.paulrich.net/papers/opusdei.html
  American Political Science Association, Wash DC, USA; Panel "Comparative Political Manifestations of the Roman Catholic Church", 2nd draft, 1:30 PM

• Opus Dei Awareness Network

  http://www.odan.org/
  US-based non profit organization provides information, outreach and support to those adversely impacted by the cult.

• Opus Dei in the United States

  http://www.americamagazine.org/opus-dei
  Written by Father James Martin, an Associate Editor at America Magazine in New York City, USA.

• Opus Dei Info

  http://www.opus-info.org/
  Documents, testimonies, analysis & information about the Opus Dei cult.

• Opus Dei lifts lid without revealing secrets

  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/1388658/Worldwide-Opus-Dei-lifts-lid-without-revealing-secrets.html
  An Opus Dei official in Spain was anxious to convince an English reporter that there is nothing unusual about the organisation. [Telegraph]

• Opus Dei must shed light on its dark image

  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10348687
  The conservative Roman Catholic group which gained international notoriety in The Da Vinci Code is too secretive for its own good. [Reuters]

• Opus Dei paper prints prophet in hell cartoon

  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/apr/17/pressandpublishing.italy
  A cartoon depicting Muhammed in hell has been published by an Italian magazine close to Opus Dei, bringing angry criticism from Muslim groups and disapproval from the Vatican. From The Guardian Unlimited.

• Opus Dei Saint

  http://www.npr.org/dmg/oldaudio.php?prgCode=WESUN&showDate=06-Oct-2002&segNum=11
  Report on the controversial canonization of Josemaria Escriva. RealAudio. [Weekend Edition]

• Opus Dei: The Unofficial Homepage

  http://www.mond.at/opus.dei/
  Independent and critical information about the sect.

• Opus Dei: The Work of God?

  http://www.bustedhalo.com/features/opus-dei-the-work-of-god/
  Article questioning the many problematic aspects of Opus Dei at Harvard and the Boston area. From BustedHalo, Paulist Young Adult Ministries, New York City.

• Power and Mystery

  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901021007-356046,00.html
  As Opus Dei's founder is canonized, Catholics wonder if the secretive lay group will one day help pick the next Pope; from Time Magazine - Europe

• Right Web: Opus Dei/Work of God

  http://rightweb.irc-online.org/opus_deiwork_of_god/
  Profile of this militant, fundamentalist, secretive, authoritarian organization, which displays features of a cult.

• Secret Service

  http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/10/12/reviews/971012.12steinft.html
  Review of Maria del Carmen Tapia's book "Beyond the Threshold: A Life in Opus Dei." With a link to the first chapter of the book. [New York Times]

• Secretive sect dubbed 'Mafia shrouded in white'

  http://news.scotsman.com/opusdei/Secretive-sect-dubbed-Mafia-shrouded.2596894.jp
  Fine article that discusses the problems with Opus Dei in Glasgow, Scotland. From The Scotsman, Scotland, UK.

• Selling orthodoxy to Washington power brokers

  http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2003c/090503/090503c.htm
  from the National Catholic Reporter, the independent newsweekly

• State Education Ministry Rejects Opus Dei School

  http://www.dw.com/en/state-education-ministry-rejects-opus-dei-school-for-boys/a-2467196
  The Opus Dei cult fails in its bid to open a school for recruiting purposes in Potsdam, Germany. From. Deutsche Welle

• Survivor Describes Days in Opus Dei

  http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1997c/090597/090597l.htm
  Review of Maria del Carmen Tapia's book "Beyond the Threshold." [National Catholic Reporter]

• The Crusaders

  http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2003/11/02/the_crusaders/
  A powerful faction of religious and political conservatives is waging a latter-day counterreformation, battling widespread efforts to liberalize the American Catholic Church. Fr. C. John McCloskey and Opus Dei discussed throughout the article. [Boston Globe Magazine]

• The Da Vinci Senator

  http://www.alternet.org/story/37668/
  Senator Brownback, an Opus Dei cult member, attempts to merge church and state by trying to change the US Constitution using a report from an Opus Dei-backed think tank. From AlterNet.

• The Dei today

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4194567.stm
  Opus Dei, a mysterious arm of the Catholic Church, has been thrust under the spotlight. So what is known about the group?

• The Pope's Right Arm in Europe

  http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/pubs/publications/1997opusdeithepopesrightarm.asp
  Report by Gordon Urquhart which focuses on Opus Dei's direct involvement in politics.

• The Rev. John McCloskey: The Catholic Church's K Street Lobbyist

  http://slate.com/?id=2069194
  The high-profile Opus Dei priest preaches good news to the rich, and wants to throw Catholics who disagree with him out of the Church. [Slate]

• The Rise of Opus Dei

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2300685.stm
  A report on the controversy surrounding the secretive organisation and the meteoric rise of its founder to canonisation. [BBC News]

• The Rising Spectre of Opus Dei

  http://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=opusdei
  From the European Institute of Protestant Studies; good article detailing the organization.

• The secret life of Opus Dei

  http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/jan/26/religion.schools
  Ruth Kelly says the Catholic group's support is a private matter, but it is surrounded by a reactionary miasma. By Michael Walsh, author of an excellent book on the Opus Dei cult. From The Guardian Unlimited, UK.

• The Way of the Faithful

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/reviews/beyondthethreshold.htm
  Review of Maria del Carmen Tapia's book "Beyond the Threshold: A Life in Opus Dei." Includes a link to the first chapter of the book. [Washington Post]

• Their Will Be Done

  http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1983/07/willbedone.html
  Article looking at the intersection of Opus Dei, CIA, dictatorial regimes and the Knights of Malta as they attempt to fight liberation theology throughout the world. Opus Dei is mentioned in the second part of the article. From Mother Jones, USA.

• Too far back to the future

  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/oct/07/religion.uk
  from The Guardian

• Watergate in Lima

  http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=7059&eng=y
  Story about an Opus Dei cardinal facing accusations of complicity in a massacre and of collaboration in the possible assassination of his Jesuit predecessor. From Chiesa, Espress Online, Rome, Italy.

• What do Americans make of Opus Dei, often described as a 'secretive Catholic sect'

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_opusdei_20050207.ram
  Former member and journalist discuss problems with the Opus Dei cult and problematic aspects of group. From The BBC Radio 4; requires RealPlayer.

• What Is Opus Dei?

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1722214.stm
  Controversy surrounds this organisation and its founder. [BBC News]

• What's the problem with Opus Dei?

  http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2005/jan/20/whatstheprobl
  Ruth Kelly has tried to unknot the ties between her new job and her sympathy with the Catholic group Opus Dei. From The Guardian Unlimited.

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