Written by Rebecca Griffin (The Deep Dive Project) for Deprogram America

Published October 26, 2024 | Updated October 26, 2024

For most people, the name Opus Dei (Work of God in Latin) might tickle the brainstem, harkening back to Dan Brown’s infamous book and movie adaptation “The DaVinci Code.” For reasons that only Mr. Brown knows, he chose to create the character Silas, an albino Opus Dei monk who flagellates himself with a rope whip. Opus Dei doesn’t have monks and members don’t wear habits, but for better or worse, the book and film exposed the organization to public scrutiny for the first time.

For all its relative obscurity, the Catholic personal prelature of Opus Dei has had a profound impact on societies the world over. Of course, there are plenty of organizations, religious and secular that can say the same. But Opus Dei is worth knowing about because of the fact that in addition to its members and supporters actively seeking influence and power, the organization has also been implicated in some atrocious human rights violations which it has yet to seriously and authentically acknowledge.

It is perfectly reasonable and rational to question whether or not an organization that has allegedly done the sorts of things Opus Dei has been accused of is the type of organization we want involved in our society. This point is particularly relevant in light of the organization’s connections to groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Napa Institute, and initiatives like Project 2025.

A Brief History

Opus Dei (often referred to by members as ‘the Work’) came up through a tumultuous time in Spanish history. A Spanish priest named Josemaria Escriva created the organization after he claimed to have had a divine revelation in which he “saw” Opus Dei as a way for ordinary, non-religious people to sanctify their lives through their work.

The organization’s early years were marked by political and social unrest and religious persecution as Spain became embroiled in a civil war. Following the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, Escriva established Opus Dei’s first headquarters in Madrid (although the organization’s international headquarters are now located in Rome).

The organization received scrutiny from church clergy almost immediately. It was perceived as a dangerous force with a secretive character, with some referring to it as a “form of Christian Masonry.” Escriva felt that his organization was impossible for outsiders to understand, a belief that is still alive and well within Opus Dei today.

Despite the pushback, Opus Dei rapidly spread throughout Spain and the rest of the world. Initially, only men could join, but Escriva eventually opened membership up to women as well.

Opus Dei received approval as a Catholic organization in 1950 and was made a personal prelature in 1982. A personal prelature is a canonical structure within the Catholic Church characterized by non-territorial jurisdiction, hierarchical structure, and a focus on specific pastoral activities. Opus Dei is not the Catholic Church’s only personal prelature, but it is the most well-known.

Membership & Structure

There are a few different membership “types” that lay and ordained members are placed into, although there is a question of membership status which I will address in a moment.

Supernumeraries are married men and women with careers and families who practice daily prayer, attend meetings and retreats and contribute to Opus Dei financially.

Numeraries are lay celibate men and women who participate with “full availability” in providing doctrinal and ascetic formation to other members, staff internal government positions when asked by regional directors, and reside in gendered centers run by Opus Dei. They may have jobs outside of the organization, although some are asked to work internally full-time and are expected to change their professional goals in order to be available to the organization.

Numerary assistants are lay, female-only, celibate members who see to the domestic needs of Opus Dei’s conferences and residential centers (i.e., cooking, cleaning, ironing, serving meals, etc.) and do not have jobs outside of the centers where they reside.

Associates are lay celibate men and women who provide doctrinal and ascetic formation, coordinate activities, and take on one or more apostolic assignments from Opus Dei. They do not reside in the centers like numeraries and numerary assistants.

Cooperators are a category of “non-members” who collaborate with and support Opus Dei through prayer, financial support, and other, un-specified assistance. Cooperators do not have to be Catholic or even profess any religious beliefs at all.

The clergy of the Opus Dei prelature are priests under the jurisdictional authority of the prelate.

The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross is an association composed of priests associated with Opus Dei, including the clergy of Opus Dei prelature, as well as diocesan priests who receive Opus Dei’s spiritual training while reporting to their own diocesan bishop, rather than the Prelate.

Due to Opus Dei’s stated policy of neither confirming nor denying an individual’s membership status, disparity between what the organization claims its numbers are versus what former members report, it is difficult if not completely impossible to determine how many members Opus Dei has.

This fact has become a sticking point and one which Opus Dei has yet to fully clarify, calling into question its imposed authority over the lay men and women who devote their time to the organization.

Crime & Controversy

Opus Dei has been the subject of scrutiny and controversy practically since its inception. Several of these controversies center around its founder, Josemaria Escriva. While the organization continues to venerate him, treating important dates in his life as celebratory feast days, numerous former members who were alive and knew Escriva personally have alleged that he was a fan of totalitarian leaders like Franco and Hitler. They have also alleged that he was a misogynistic narcissist with a violent temper and delusions of grandeur who encouraged the cult of personality many believe exists today.

Additionally, many people - former members and nonmembers alike - felt that his cause for canonization was rushed. They believe the Vatican did not do its due diligence in thoroughly investigating his life, willfully ignoring any testimony that ran counter to the exalted image he and his organization had fostered.

Other controversies range from the relatively mundane to the outright criminal.

The organization has been accused of being secretive and elitist, exercising undue influence within the Catholic Church and other secular institutions, particularly in politics and finance, focusing on recruiting wealthy or influential people, employing sect-like practices, including excessive control over members’ lives and promoting a culture of obedience that has been viewed as manipulative. But perhaps most concerning are the allegations of grooming and labor trafficking.

Opus Dei has been accused of using its various educational institutions and youth programs to target children as young as 12 and 13 years of age for recruitment as celibate numeraries. Allegations have surfaced that Opus Dei members have targeted and essentially groomed children into making a life-long commitment to the organization before they are capable of understanding the implications.

The allegations include members fabricating and fomenting a vocational crisis and encouraging these children to lie to and isolate themselves from their families, who are unaware of their children’s involvement. According to recent accounts from former members, they were also encouraged as juvenile recruits to use the discipline (a rope whip used to flagellate one’s back and buttocks) and cilice (a spiked chain worn around the upper thigh) as a form of corporal mortification, an accusation that has given rise to intense concerns about child safety and self-harm.

Additionally, Opus Dei has been accused of labor trafficking, particularly in connection to the treatment of its domestic workers (assistant numeraries), violating labor laws and basic human rights. Critics and former members alike have alleged that Opus Dei recruits these young women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with promises of education and employment, only for the women to find themselves in conditions resembling servitude, with long hours, little or no pay, and few social benefits.

Women who have spoken out about what they endured allege that the organization exerted strict control over their daily lives, that they were not fully informed of their rights or the nature of the work they would be doing before they joined, and that they were manipulated and coerced into working for Opus Dei under the guise of religious duty.

Despite the fact that women from South America, the United States, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and elsewhere have spoken out and their testimonies are all chillingly similar, Opus Dei has continued to vehemently deny these accusations.

These accusations and controversies are truly just the tip of the iceberg, but they are arguably the most concerning and alarming.

While Opus Dei has continued to argue that its involvement in politics, finance, and education is aimed at promoting ethical behavior, personal responsibility, and Christian ideals, the accusations that have been leveled against it do not create the impression of an organization that is capable of behaving ethically or responsibly.

Connections to Project 2025

You’ve likely already heard about the 2025 Presidential Transition Project (Project 2025), a white paper which is the brainchild of the conservative American think tank the Heritage Foundation.

Many of the policies in Project 2025's Mandate for Leadership support the political agenda of Opus Dei, so I wanted to create a list of influential figures connected to both.

Note that this list is not exhaustive, as identifying Opus Dei membership can be challenging unless publicly confirmed. Furthermore, involvement in Opus Dei doesn’t necessarily imply involvement in Project 2025, and vice versa.

While there are rumors about other figures like Ken Cuccinelli, Pat Cipollone, Austin Ruse, and Mick Mulvaney being linked to both, I couldn't conclusively connect them to Project 2025 and Opus Dei. This is a starting point, and further investigation into the organizations behind Project 2025 may uncover more connections.