"and the former head of the Vatican press office was a member of Opus Dei. An Opus Dei spokesman says ""the influence of Opus Dei in the [Vatican] has been exaggerated."" Of the nearly 200 cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, only two are known to be members of Opus Dei. Similarly, of the nearly 4000 bishops, only 20 are known to be members of Opus Dei. John L. Allen, Jr. said that Escriva's relatively quick canonization does not have anything to do with power but with improvements in procedures and John Paul II's decision to make Escriva's sanctity and"
"The Neocatechumenal Way also does not view itself as a Movement, but rather as a ministry for adult faith formation. Catholic movements Movements in the Catholic Church are groups of church members following a specific spirituality given to them by their founder. In the case of officially recognized movements, this specificity is in harmony with teachings of the Magisterium while emphasizing a specific way of Christian life. Church Movements include: Opus Dei, while sharing some of the characteristics of the movements listed above is not categorised by Catholic Church authorities as a Movement, because as a personal prelature, akin to"
"Catholic movements Movements in the Catholic Church are groups of church members following a specific spirituality given to them by their founder. In the case of officially recognized movements, this specificity is in harmony with teachings of the Magisterium while emphasizing a specific way of Christian life. Church Movements include: Opus Dei, while sharing some of the characteristics of the movements listed above is not categorised by Catholic Church authorities as a Movement, because as a personal prelature, akin to a diocese or a military ordinariate, it is more closely overseen by the hierarchical and jurisdictional structure of the Church."
"2005, Evans David Gliwitzki became the first Catholic priest to get married in Spain. Another sign of the church's declining role in Spanish life was the diminishing importance of the controversial secular religious institute, Opus Dei (Work of God). Opus Dei, a worldwide lay religious body, did not adhere to any particular political philosophy. Its founder, Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer y Albas, stated that the organization was nonpolitical. The organization was founded in 1928 as a reaction to the increasing secularization of Spain's universities, and higher education continued to be one of the institute's foremost priorities. Despite its public"
"advice, (2) they do not operate as a herd in political affairs, but (3) consider respect for pluralism in matters not concerning the faith one way of obeying a central conviction of the founder. (See Messori 1997, p. 175) Moreover, aside from those working on the right side of the political spectrum, there are numerous Opus Dei members in many others parts of the world, e.g. Latin America, Europe, Asia, who are involved in left-wing politics and organizations: labor unions, left-of-center political parties, organizations working for the marginalized, poverty alleviation and reduction programs, etc. It is impossible, according to supporters,"
"Opus Dei is a calling to be a ""contemplative in the middle of the world,"" who converts work and daily life into prayer. ""Daily norms:"" ""Weekly norms:"" Additionally, members should participate yearly in a spiritual retreat; a three-week seminar every year is obligatory for numeraries, and a one-week seminar for supernumeraries. Also members are expected to make a day-trip pilgrimage where they recite 3 5-decade rosaries on the month of May in honor of Mary. Much public attention has focused on Opus Dei's practice of mortification—the voluntary offering up of discomfort or pain to God; this includes fasting, or for"
"for all of them to be herded into one political agenda. Some theologians and observers of religious phenomena also say that the many criticisms against Opus Dei show that it is a sign of contradiction, ""a sign that is spoken against."" Opus Dei has been accused of supporting Totalitarianism, during the first part of the 20th century, and afterward far-right governments. Opus Dei's history parallels that of Francisco Franco's conservative dictatorship in Spain, and was first developed during the troublesome years of the interwar period, along with the dictatorships of António de Oliveira Salazar and Adolf Hitler, and Benito Mussolini's"
"in their neighborhood as well as joining together in the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The community thrived and has now become a global movement of communities working for peace and justice, strengthened by daily life in common and prayer. Opus Dei predated the Second Vatican Council in its emphasis on the laity. Founded by St. Josemaría Escrivá, Opus Dei's spirituality is based on life in the secular world. The ""sanctification of work"" consists in offering all work, however ordinary, to God. This implies that one always does one's best. To be a contemplative is to integrate one's life"
"and leads to union with Him. Different qualifiers have been used to describe Opus Dei's doctrine: radical, reactionary, faithful, revolutionary, ultraconservative, most modern, conservative, and liberal. All members – whether married or unmarried, priests or laypeople – are trained to follow a 'plan of life', or 'the norms of piety', which are some traditional Catholic devotions. This is meant to follow the teaching of the Catholic Catechism: ""pray at specific times...to nourish continual prayer,"" which in turn is based on Jesus' ""pray at all times"" (), echoed by St. Paul's ""pray without ceasing"" (). According to Escriva, the vocation to"
"as ""National Catholicism"", according to Alberto Moncada, or ""Catholic Totalitarianism,"" according to Argentine Marxist historian Emilio Corbiere. Thus, Opus Dei members are placed squarely on the political right, becoming a conservative influence in world affairs, promoting the Vatican's traditionalist policies against divorce, abortion, euthanasia, gay marriages, contraception, etc. “The claim that Opus Dei is merely a humanitarian organization with no political agenda is simply not credible,” said Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice. Opus Dei, according to its critics, serves as the Vatican's instrument to oppose the liberal and secular thought expressed by John Stuart Mill's classic"
"There were other attacks from Jesuits in the 1950s who told some Italian parents of members of Opus Dei that their sons were being led to damnation. Messori also claims Jesuits and other sectors of the Church perceived as 'liberal' spread the ""myth"" that Opus Dei supported fascism. From its early association with the far-right Franco regime in Spain, Opus Dei has been associated with ultra-right wing regimes, but also claims members from left-wing parties such as the UK Labour Party (see Opus Dei and politics). Much public attention has focused on Opus Dei's encouragement of the practice of mortification,"
"""very dangerous for the Church in Spain,"" citing its ""secretive character"" and calling it ""a form of Christian Masonry."" In 1947, a year after Escrivá moved the organization's headquarters to Rome, Opus Dei received a decree of praise and approval from Pope Pius XII, making it an institute of ""pontifical right"", i.e. under the direct governance of the Pope. In 1950, Pius XII granted definitive approval to Opus Dei, thereby allowing married people to join the organization, and secular clergy to be admitted to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross. Opus Dei has been accused of running a business"
"should aspire to be a saint, as per Jesus' commandment to ""Love God with all your heart"" () and ""Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect."" () Opus Dei also teaches that sanctity is within the reach of everyone, not just a few special individuals, given Jesus' teaching that his demands are ""easy"" and ""light,"" as his divine assistance is assured. () Opus Dei does not have monks or nuns, and only a minority of its members are priests. Opus Dei emphasizes uniting spiritual life with professional, social, and family life. Members of Opus Dei lead ordinary lives, with"
"and 2,109 priests. These figures do not include the priest members of Opus Dei's Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, estimated to number 2,000 in the year 2005. About 60 per cent of Opus Dei faithful reside in Europe, and 35 per cent reside in the Americas. Women comprise 57% of total membership. According to the study of John Allen, for the most part, Opus Dei faithful belong to the middle to low levels in society, in terms of education, income, and social status. Opus Dei is made up of several different types of faithful. According to the Statutes of"
"fundamentalism in religion. They attribute this fundamentalism in the Catholic Church to Opus Dei. Between 2001 and 2006, the myth of Opus Monster was fed by the appearance of Christianophobia or Catholic phobia in the wealthy Western societies, especially France. After September 11, our opinion leaders decided that all religions are dangerous. They searched among the Catholic groups what would embody the fundamentalism that they saw in Islamic groups. And they chose Opus Dei. This is the latest mutation of a virus containing a black legend. Thus, Plunkett said that from age to age, society uses the myth of the"
"Privilege,"" a report of Catholics for a Free Choice, Opus Dei is categorised together with Neocatechumenal Way, Focolare, Legion of Christ, Community of St. John, Charismatic Renewal, and Communion and Liberation, among Catholic groups having ""neoconservative or fundamentalist moral and political beliefs,"" ""extremely traditionalist,"" and ""pre-enlightenment"" messages for society. In contrast, Benedict XVI praises the catechetical work of these lay organizations and commented on the profile of Opus Dei as ""this surprising link between absolute fidelity to the great tradition of the Church and to her faith, with a disarming simplicity and unconditional openness to all the challenges of this"
"commitment to a nonpolitical stance, Opus Dei members rose to occupy key positions in the Franco régime, especially in the field of economic policy-making in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. Opus Dei members dominated the group of liberal technocrats who engineered the opening of Spain's autarchic economy after 1957. After the 1973 assassination of Prime Minister Luis Carrero Blanco (often rumored to be an Opus Dei member), however, the influence of the institute declined sharply. The secrecy of the order and its activities and the power of its myth helped it maintain its strong position of influence in"
"Fernando Ocáriz Braña Fernando Ocáriz Braña (born 27 October 1944) is a Roman Catholic priest who serves as the current Prelate of Opus Dei. Monsignor Ocáriz is the fourth person to head Opus Dei since its founding in 1928. He is widely published in philosophy and has been a consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1986. Fernando Ocáriz Braña was born in Paris on 27 October 1944 to José Ocáriz Gómez and María Dolores Braña, and is the youngest of eight children. He joined Opus Dei on September 7, 1961. He studied Physics at the"
"message known. (see Opus Dei and politics) Opus Dei has been accused of running a business of selling babies during and after the Spanish civil war. Apparently at the time an unholy alliance of doctors, Opus Dei priests, and General Francisco Franco's secret police systematically took ""thousands of children"" from vulnerable women known to have supported the Republican cause. To this day no Opus Dei priest was prosecuted for their involvement in running this child kidnapping business. In official Opus Dei reports about their own history these business activities have been excluded. Supporters of Opus Dei say criticisms of it"
"ordinariates. Personal prelatures are fundamentally secular organizations operating ""in"" the world (members do not take vows and live normal, everyday lives), whereas religious institutes are religious organizations operating ""out"" of the world (members take vows and live in accordance with the proper law of their institute). The first, and presently only, personal prelature is Opus Dei, which Pope Saint John Paul II erected as such in 1982 by the Apostolic constitution ""Ut sit"". In the case of Opus Dei, the Prelate is elected by members of the Prelature and confirmed by the Supreme Pontiff; the laity and clergy of the"
"the notion of secularity—that political thinking is something for lay people to do, not for a church organization to do. Therefore, on questions that don't deal with faith and morals, there's great pluralism."" Allen states: ""two of the most visible Opus Dei politicians in the world—(Paola) Binetti (a senator-elect) in Italy, and Ruth Kelly, the Minister of Education in England—are now women who belong to center-left parties,"" ""still there is a sociological reality that the kind of people attracted to Opus Dei tend to be conservative, theologically and politically."" Researchers, historians and writers on Opus Dei have said that Opus"
"local ministry or be labelled divisive and rebellious.[7] The Move (Sam Fife) The Move (also known as The Move of the Spirit or Move of God) is the unofficial name of a non-denominational charismatic Christian group that was started in the 1960s in Florida by Sam Fife, a former Baptist preacher. In his ministry in the early 1960s, Sam Fife used elements of charismatic ministry, first at his church in New Orleans, then in his prayer group in Miami, Florida. He was a former Baptist preacher and his theology has been related to the Body of Christ movement. At a"
"Teachings of Opus Dei Teachings of Opus Dei are the teachings of the founder of Opus Dei, St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer. The following are the main features of Escrivá's spiritual teachings, the basis of the message Opus Dei was tasked to spread. Another exposition of these main teachings, expressed as ""the main features of the spirit of Opus Dei,"" can be found in the Opus Dei website . In his Apostolic Constitution ""Ut Sit"", John Paul II declared that ""this Institution has in fact striven, not only to illuminate with new lights the mission of the laity in the"
"contributions, or by providing some other assistance. Cooperators are not required to be celibate or to adhere to any other special requirements. Indeed, cooperators are not even required to be Christian. Cooperators may attend the educational and training activities provided by the Opus Dei. Many cooperators are relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbors of the members of Opus Dei. Religious communities as a whole can also become cooperators of Opus Dei. There are currently several hundred of these communities who pray for Opus Dei daily. To become a member of Opus Dei one has to receive a divine calling or a"
"critics were once Jesuit priests."" According to Vittorio Messori, a major source of hostility towards Opus Dei is the application of political categories to a religious phenomenon such as Opus Dei. These groups against Opus Dei, he says, see everything happening in the world only through the prism of power-seeking, that is, of political spectrums of people in the left versus people on the right. Since Opus Dei is one of the major religious groups, the application of politically motivated campaigns against it is even stronger. According to Allen, Opus Dei became the lightning rod for the attacks of liberals"
"Opus Dei maintains an extremely high degree of control over its members—for instance, past rules required numeraries to submit their incoming and outgoing mail to their superiors for inspection, and members are forbidden to read certain books without permission from their superiors. Critics charge that Opus Dei pressures numeraries to sever contact with non-members, including their own families. Exit counselor David Clark has described Opus Dei as ""very cult-like"". Critics assert that Escrivá and the organization supported radical right-wing governments, such as those of Franco, Augusto Pinochet and Alberto Fujimori of Peru during the 1990s. Both Pinochet's and Fujimori's ministries"
"Oblates of the Holy Spirit The Oblates of the Holy Spirit (Italian: ""Suore Oblate dello Spirito Santo""; Latin: ""Institutum Oblatarum Spiritus Sancti""; abbreviation: ""O.S.S."") is a religious institute of pontifical right whose members profess public vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience and follow the evangelical way of life in common. Their mission includes education of youth, catechetical and pastoral activities. This religious institute was founded in Lucca, Italy, in 1882, by bd. Elena Guerra. The sisters have houses in Cameroon, Canada, Italy, Philippines, Rwanda. The Generalate of the Congregation can be found in Rome, Italy. On 31 December 2008 there"
"build the spirit or culture which is practised in the Work. Opus Dei: Mission of Opus Dei Escriva, Josemaria (1993). ""Conversations With Josemaria Escriva"" Sydney New York: Little Hills & Scepter. Teachings of Opus Dei Teachings of Opus Dei are the teachings of the founder of Opus Dei, St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer. The following are the main features of Escrivá's spiritual teachings, the basis of the message Opus Dei was tasked to spread. Another exposition of these main teachings, expressed as ""the main features of the spirit of Opus Dei,"" can be found in the Opus Dei website ."
"in monasteries and devote their lives exclusively to prayer and study, most members of Opus Dei lead ordinary lives, with traditional families and conventional careers, and strive to ""sanctify ordinary life"". Indeed, Pope John Paul II called Escrivá ""the saint of ordinary life"". One of the distinctive features of Opus Dei is its stress of lay spirituality - a spiritual life for lay people living an everyday life and doing ordinary work. Escriva takes decided position against the concept of having an interior spiritual life and a separate ""not spiritual"" professional, social, and family life. According to Opus Dei, Opus"
"and CelesteHealthyLiving.com, respectively, to advance personal interests. Ostrowski is Catholic and a defender of Opus Dei, the Catholic organization founded by Josemaría Escrivá. In addition to Ostrowski's articles on religion and spirituality, he has approached various individual issues in the discipline. He argued against the sub-classification labeling of Catholics as “ultra-conservative” or “liberal”, citing one set of tenets taught by the Catholic Church. He also defended priestly celibacy in the wake of a publicized incident involving Fr. Alberto Cutié, formerly of the Catholic Diocese of Miami. Ostrowski expressed criticism of the Catholic Church's decision to allow Natural Family Planning and"
"Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, officially ""Ordo Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Saecularis"" (OCDS), and formerly the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and of the Holy Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus, is a religious association of the Roman Catholic Church composed primarily of lay persons and also accepted secular clergy. Professing promises to strive to live evangelical perfection in the spirit of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, obedience, and of the beatitudes, they live what is described as a ""fidelity to contemplative prayer with the spirit of detachment"
"Opus Dei. They are a minority in Opus Dei—only about 2% of Opus Dei members are part of the clergy. Typically, they are numeraries or associates who ultimately joined the priesthood. The consists of priests associated with Opus Dei. Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature—priests who fall under the jurisdiction of the Opus Dei prelature are automatically members of the Priestly Society. Other members in the society are diocesan priests—clergymen who remain under the jurisdiction of a geographically defined diocese. These priests are considered full members of Opus Dei who are"
"Josemaría Escrivá Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás (9 January 1902 – 26 June 1975) was a Roman Catholic priest from Spain who initiated Opus Dei, an organization of laypeople and priests dedicated to the teaching that everyone is called to holiness by God and that ordinary life can result in sanctity. He was canonized during 2002 by Pope John Paul II, who declared Saint Josemaría should be ""counted among the great witnesses of Christianity."" Escrivá gained a doctorate in civil law at the Complutense University of Madrid and a doctorate in theology at the Lateran University in Rome."