One of the criticisms of the group is that it is highly secretive. Finnerty declared that he viewed the notoriety as an excellent opportunity to enlighten the public about what Opus Dei really is. Not only was the group not going to boycott or sue, but Mr. Finnerty if Opus Dei was recommending a boycott of the movie, because it may vilify the organization the way the novel does. An aside: If all the people I saw that day wearing ashes actually went to church every Sunday, perhaps the archdiocese wouldn’t have to close some parishes. I met him on Ash Wednesday, but his forehead showed no sign of the sooty reminder of “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” that Catholics receive the first day of Lent. Finnerty very graciously answered my impertinent questions about various rumors, e.g., whether the members indulge in self-mutilation and if the group was involved with the Vatican bank scandal. About 98% of Opus Dei’s members are laymen and laywomen, most of whom are married. Its members try to find holiness in and through their daily work, family life and social relations.
So what exactly is Opus Dei? It is a lay organization founded by a Spanish priest, Josemaria Escriva, who was canonized as a saint in 2002. I even half-seriously wondered if the smoke detectors in the waiting room ceiling were secretly recording my every move. It’s always been portrayed as a sinister arm of the Vatican that protects church secrets. Only one painting, of Pope John Paul II, gave the visitor a hint that this building housed a religious organization.īecause of what I’d read in mystery novels or the press, the only impression I’d had of Opus Dei was largely negative. However, the majority of the paintings were landscapes and still lifes, not religious artwork.
Before meeting him, I sat in the tastefully decorated waiting room that was faintly reminiscent of Cardinal Egan’s residence on Madison Avenue. Brown stole their research from their 1982 nonfiction book, “Holy Blood, Holy Grail.” Author Dan Brown is currently battling a plagiarism lawsuit in London brought by New Zealand author Michael Baigent and his American writing partner, Richard Leigh, who claim Mr. media relations director for the group, was debunking one of the many distortions in “The Da Vinci Code.” The best-selling novel, which has a murderous monk named Silas as a main character, has been made into a feature film starring Tom Hanks and is expected to open some time next month … maybe. “Opus Dei does not have any monks, albino or otherwise,” Brian Finnerty said with a smile.
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