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"Bringing light to Opus Dei's Questionable
Practices"
ODAN
is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible.
Please support our work to continue
providing information about Opus Dei.
Funding Letter 2011
Opus Dei Awareness Network, Inc. (ODAN™)
PO Box 4333, Pittsfield, MA
01202-4333,
Tel: (413) 499-7168; Fax: (413)
499-7860
Web:
www.odan.org, e-mail:
odan@odan.org
December 9, 2011
Dear Friends of ODAN,
A little over 20 years ago on a sunny
September weekend in 1991, fifty plus people came together to
discuss Opus Dei. We were a group of people who had loved ones who
had joined Opus Dei. We were all practicing Catholics and were
greatly concerned by the alienation and change in personality of our
loved ones. It was no small miracle that each of us became aware of
one another. The internet was not widely used for information and
Opus Dei was telling each one of us that we were the only ones with
a problem, that we were too controlling. Besides, Opus Dei
continued, no one else had complained, and they were a bona fide
Vatican approved organization of the Catholic Church. Yet with the
lack of information, each one of us, on our own, could not shake the
feeling that something was not right. All of the things Opus Dei
were telling us turned out to be untrue. As time went on and some
of those loved ones left Opus Dei, they began to report on Opus
Dei’s hidden agenda. The extent of the manipulation and deception
was staggering. The rate that members left Opus Dei was very high
for an organization that claimed around 80,000 members world-wide.
It was an organization that told its members that if they did not
accept a vocation in Opus Dei, they would live a life completely
void of God’s grace and blessing.
ODAN eventually became aware of a lot of
people who had experienced Opus Dei’s questionable practices. The
decision to form Opus Dei Awareness Network, Inc. (ODAN) and its web
site opened up a stream of information that encompassed not just the
United States, but the whole world. ODAN became a source of
information about Opus Dei’s underside, the side not readily seen
and known. It was not the glossy picture Opus Dei puts out about
itself.
One of the first documents created by
former numerary members was “Opus Dei’s Questionable Practices”.
http://www.odan.org/questionable_practices.htm. Among
the things it describes are corporal mortification, aggressive
recruitment, undue pressure to join, lack of informed consent and
control of environment and alienation of family that exists within
Opus Dei. The document was written eighteen years ago and still
applies today. Opus Dei has not changed.
A recent example is the court case of a
French woman who joined Opus Dei as an assistant numerary who sued
Opus Dei for enslavement.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8782610/French-woman-sues-Opus-Dei-for-enslavement.html
It was alleged during the trial that
Opus Dei’s practices were “physically and psychologically damaging.”
Defense lawyers for Opus Dei claimed the case was a simple labor
dispute, when in reality it was about Opus Dei’s questionable
practices, exactly the ones outlined in ODAN’s Questionable
Practices document. Unfortunately, the French court sided with Opus
Dei stating that there was no evidence that the defendant had been
trapped without remuneration.
Last month, Opus Libros, our Spanish
sister organization, was denounced by Opus Dei for publication of
internal documents. Opus Dei filed a complaint citing violation of
intellectual property rights by using unseen writings of its
founder. Opus Libros argued it is a “fight against censorship and
secrecy”. A Spanish judge ordered Opus Libros to remove ‘private’
documents revealing the inner workings of the Catholic organization
Opus Dei from its website. This leads one to wonder why an
organization that claims its only interest is the spiritual
well-being of its members would want to block anything their founder
would have to say. What do they have to hide?
Over the last twenty years ODAN has
dedicated itself to its mission statement.
“The Opus Dei
Awareness Network, Inc. (ODAN) was founded in 1991 to meet the
growing demand for accurate information about Opus Dei and to
provide education, outreach and support to people who have been
adversely affected by Opus Dei. ODAN challenges many of Opus Dei's
Questionable Practices because
of the way they affect an individual's personal freedom, choices and
family life.”
The past
several years have been hard to maintain since ODAN, like many other
non-profits, has experienced a decrease in funding. We have
tightened our budget and have maintained the bare essentials to keep
us functioning.
No one receives a salary at ODAN. Our
website is constantly active at distributing information. Please
consider praying for ODAN and sending a tax deductible donation to
help us continue our mission.
Sincerely,
Dianne R.
DiNicola
Executive
Director
Please support us!
Opus Dei in the News
French Woman Loses Case Against Opus Dei for
Involuntary
Servitude
A woman from France identified as Catherine Tissier has lost a suit
against Opus Dei for involuntary labor while she was under the
influence of Opus Dei from 1985 to 2001. During this time, she
worked in organizations linked to Opus Dei for up to 14 hours per
day, seven days a week, cleaning and serving for very little pay.
The suit brings into sharp focus the plight of numerary assistants
within Opus Dei. Like many others who become numerary assistants,
Catherine Tissier became involved at the young age of 14 while attending
an Opus Dei-run hoteliers school in northeastern France in 1985.
(For more information about the types of members in Opus Dei:
What is Opus Dei?)
She joined Opus Dei as a 16-year old minor, becoming an "auxiliary
numerary" or "numerary assistant."
Several factors make the plight of the Opus Dei numerary assistants
disturbing - Many have been recruited and allowed to make
commitments to Opus Dei while still minors, and as Catherine Tissier
stated in an interview with the AFP, were "forbidden to talk about
it [with] parents."
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gw-2sL0vkuPdy5rPQg7mnSPJob1Q?docId=CNG.901f10405411aeeb8554b48d4d3a7341.2e1)
In addition, the manner in which pay was distributed was also
questionable. Besides being paid very little, the numerary
assistants were also required to hand over their pay to their Opus
Dei directors, essentially having no control over their own wages,
as Ms. Tissier tried to prove in her case.
This practice continued as recently as 2005, as stated by former numerary assistant Colleen O'Neill in an interview with Paula Zahn
in 2006.
(http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0605/19/pzn.01.html)
For an abridged version of Colleen's story and CNN transcript, link
here:
CNN Transcript
Catherine Tissier's story may be similar to that of a former numerary
assistant whose testimony below communicates the subtle means by
which Opus Dei gained control of her mind and kept her locked in a
cycle of fear, guilt, manipulation and even the use of tranquilizers
prescribed by Opus Dei doctors. Her compelling story can be found
on the
Testimonies and Other Writings
page at the following link:
My Basic Human Rights Were Violated
(Testimony of a Former Opus Dei numerary assistant)
According to the
AFP report,
the Paris court has cleared two members of Opus Dei associated with the University and Technical Culture
Association (ACUT). Opus Dei's defense lawyer, Thierry Laugier,
made the case that ACUT was completely separate from Opus Dei except
for a "partnership for spiritual activities."
These statements by Opus Dei follow a pattern they have used when
faced with criticism – downplaying the role Opus Dei plays with
their schools, centers and other institutions when in fact the
organization is the lifeblood and driving force behind all of them.
Opus Dei members make statements that make it seem like these
institutions “just happen” to entrust their spiritual activities to
Opus Dei – nothing could be farther from the truth.
After being rescued from the group in 2001 by her parents, Catherine
Tissier weighed only 86 pounds. Many of the details of Catherine's story
appear similar to those communicated by
former numerary assistants from Europe
as well as the
US.
It
is gravely unfortunate that the plight of Opus Dei numerary
assistants continues to be misunderstood, as the outcome of this
case demonstrates. Also misunderstood is how groups can
manipulate the mind using sophisticated cult-like techniques - that
cults exist in our world is undoubtedly true. Yet members
within cult-like groups rarely if ever believe or recognize that
they have been manipulated or subjected to deceptive practices.
Seasoned members of cult-like groups are often manipulated into
believing that their actions are justified and even beautiful within
the narrow mind-set of the group, when in fact they constitute
deliberate, orchestrated manipulations that pose as true spiritual
enlightenments.
Even Opus Dei's reaction to the news of this lawsuit is disturbing -
The headlines include terms that would lead readers to conclude that
Opus Dei itself was completely exonerated of any and all criticisms,
and that those who raise legitimate concerns about the group are
"propagating among the public false data." Yet
Opus Dei's reaction
is in complete contradiction to their assertion that the French
school in question had only a "spiritual link" to Opus Dei.
Words used in Opus Dei's coverage include "complete exoneration";
"completely absolves" and "completely cleared."
Rodolphe Bosselut, Ms. Tissier's lawyer, was "disappointed, but not
surprised, by the ruling," citing extreme hostility toward his
client within the courtroom. He plans to appeal the ruling.
For more information about the lawsuit:
The Telegraph, "French Woman Loses Opus Dei Enslavement Case"
by Henry Samuel, November 24, 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8913714/French-woman-loses-Opus-Dei-enslavement-case.html
The Herald Sun, "Court Clears Opus Dei-linked group", from
AFP, November 25, 2011
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/court-clears-opus-dei-linked-group/story-e6frf7jx-1226205548305
From Opus Dei's website: "French court completely absolves
Dosnan School", November 24, 2011
http://www.opusdei.us/art.php?p=46221
Agence France-Presse
(AFP)
"French
woman sues Opus Dei, claims brainwashing"
By Dorothee Moisan – Jun 28, 2011
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gw-2sL0vkuPdy5rPQg7mnSPJob1Q?docId=CNG.901f10405411aeeb8554b48d4d3a7341.2e1
CatholicCulture.org "French woman files involuntary-labor charges
against Opus Dei"
- June 29, 2011
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=10842
Opus Libros in Spain Ordered to Remove Opus Dei
Documents from Website
Opus Libros, ODAN's sister organization in Spain, has been ordered by a
Spanish judge to remove internal documents of Opus Dei from its
website, www.opuslibros.org.
In one of the few articles about this news item written in English,
in "Opus
Dei Wins Web Battle," the Olive Press reports on November 6 that
the website was charged with "violating the intellectual property
rights" of Opus Dei by making available to the public the unseen
writings of Opus Dei's founder.
Which begs the question: what is Opus Dei afraid of? Why
would they not want all of the writings of their founder available
for the public to read? That they would go to such great
lengths to restrict access to information adds fuel to charges of
secrecy and manipulation. One wonders also, with the presence
of Opus Dei so prevalent in Spain, whether anyone has looked into
the impartiality of the judicial process.
A lengthier article in Spanish appears in El Pais at the following
link. ODAN is currently working on an English translation
of the article and will post it on the website at a future date.
Opus Dei Bishop Indicted for Failure to Report
Suspected Abuse
Bishop Robert Finn, Opus Dei member and bishop of the Diocese of Kansas
City-St. Joseph, was indicted in October for failing to report
suspected child abuse by a priest under his jurisdiction and diocese
(Father Shawn Ratigan). The accused priest was charged for
taking pornographic pictures of underage girls.
Bishop Finn was informed of the pictures discovered on Ratigan's
computer in December 2010, yet failed to alert police until May 11,
2011. This, despite the fact that Finn had agreed in a $10
million settlement with 47 plaintiffs three years ago to immediately
report suspicions of child abuse to law enforcement officials.
According to a report by the
Religion News Service, Finn has agreed to a deal with law
enforcement in Clay County to allow monthly oversight by prosecutors
over the next five years. Charges still stand against Finn in
neighboring Jackson County.
Not only has Bishop Finn breached the promises he made in the settlement
three years ago, he has also ignored demands for his resignation
from parishioners and abuse victims, who feel hurt and betrayed.
In an article appearing in
huffingtonpost.com, former spokesman for the US Conference of
Catholic Bishops and well-known Opus Dei member Russell Shaw fails
to identify himself as an Opus Dei member while speaking in Finn's
defense. Shaw called repeated demands for Finn's resignation
"terribly distasteful" and implied that because Finn apologized, all
should be forgiven and forgotten.
Finn is now the highest-ranking church official to be criminally charged
with sheltering a priest suspected of sex abuse. For more
information:
HuffingtonPost.com,
"Bishop Robert Finn Accepts Deal to Avoid Second Indictment",
by Daniel Burke, Religion News Service, November 15, 2011
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/15/bishop-robert-finn-second-indictment_n_1096035.html
HuffingtonPost.com,
"Robert Finn, Bishop Indicted For Porn Cover-Up, Plans to Continue
Leading Diocese," by Heather Hollingsworth and Rachel Zoll,
October 19, 2011
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/19/robert-finn-indicted-bishop-continues-leading_n_1020640.html
ABC News, "Bishop
of Kansas City Indicted for Failure to Report Suspected Abuse",
by Father Edward Beck, October 14, 2011
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/10/bishop-of-kansas-city-indicted-for-failure-to-report-suspected-abuse/
Family claims Opus Dei holding daughter
Latest development:
Judge excuses self from Opus Dei case
A
family from Kenya has turned to the courts in an effort to stop Opus
Dei from sending their 25-year old daughter away to another
country. In the latest news related to the case, High Court
Judge Mumbi Ngugi "disqualified" herself from the case, citing that
she was "uncomfortable" hearing the case, due to the fact that she
has friends who are members of Opus Dei. The daughter, Sophie Naliaka, was recruited into Opus Dei
as a numerary while attending
Kenya High School, according to a report in the Nairobi Star. Her
parents, Dr. Charles Ngome and his wife Hellen Kibanani have
instituted a suit at the High Court in Nairobi.
The parents have reported that their daughter has suffered from
delusional disorder as a result of her association with Opus Dei.
Naliaka was hospitalized on May 9 for treatment of mental illness
and discharged on May 24. Opus Dei members were involved as Naliaka
left her parent’s home in Bungoma on June 18.
This story is yet another indicator of Opus Dei
questionable practices,
including highly manipulative recruitment techniques, including the
recruitment of minors without the knowledge or consent of parents,
mental illness abuses, secrecy, manipulation and deception,
occurring in different cultures, countries and even continents
wherever Opus Dei operates.
To
read the entire article:
http://www.nairobistar.com/national/national/31016-family-claims-opus-dei-holding-daughter-
In an update to this story, Sophie Naliaka has stated that she has
joined Opus Dei of her own free will and that her parents detained
her without her consent. She also states that she joined Opus
Dei at the age of 22. One wonders whether this is really the
truth, or if it is another instance where Opus Dei encourages its
members to tell half-truths and purposely cloud the reality of how
people really join Opus Dei. The original article stated that
Naliaka became involved with Opus Dei while attending Kenya High
School - it is possible she made her initial commitment to Opus Dei
(called "whistling") while still a minor.
The following article, "Joining Opus
Dei," provides excellent information about how Opus Dei
purposely clouds the definition of membership - to those who have
experienced Opus Dei firsthand, there is no doubt that Opus Dei in
practice considers the first commitment a lifetime one - those who
try to back away after learning more details about what that
commitment entails are typically bombarded with guilt and pressure
to continue. The tragedy is that those who continue in Opus
Dei do not realize the depth of manipulation and control that was
present when they were first targeted for membership - even those in
the group who practice manipulation in order to get new members do
not fully recognize it as such, as their actions are described using
Opus Dei's particular verbage that makes it seem beautiful and
God-inspired when in truth it is humanly orchestrated and
manipulated.
Follow-up article in the Nairobi Star:
http://www.nairobistar.com/national/national/31995-woman-says-she-wasnt-forced-to-join-opus-dei
Opus Dei Tries to Influence Public Opinion with Film
There Be Dragons, a movie produced
by Roland Joffe, Guy J. Louthan and Opus Dei members
Ignacio G. Sancha and Ignacio Núñez,
opened in U.S. theaters
May 6, 2011 and is now available for purchase. The story portrays Opus Dei founder Josemaria
Escriva during the early years of Opus Dei's founding, which took
place in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.
Despite downplaying its role in the
production of the film, Opus Dei has again employed its usual tactic
of manipulating circumstances in the background while presenting a
picture that seems entirely spontaneous and without guile.
Keen observers of Opus Dei recognize that the film project has
indeed been Opus Dei driven and financed, despite allegations to the
contrary.
In a New York times article
published last June, the author writes of the movie:
"The financing of about
$30 million came from about 100 investors,
and raising it was a struggle, said Ignacio
G. Sancha, the lead producer, a Spanish
financier and lawyer who is also a member of
Opus Dei." (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/movies/22opus.html?_r=1)
The early Times article
stated that "the
project was initiated by a member of Opus
Dei, is partly produced and financed by the
group’s members and has enlisted an Opus Dei
priest to consult on the set."
Contrast this
information with a recent quote from an Opus
Dei website saying that "at the request of
the film’s producers, the communications
office of the Prelature of Opus Dei provided
historical information and other audiovisual
materials regarding Saint Josemaria, as it
does in response to similar requests for
news stories, books and documentaries," as
if Opus Dei had nothing at all to do with
the planning and production of the film.
In addition, the Opus
Dei site states "while
news of a film dealing with Saint Josemaria
by a director of Mr. Joffe’s caliber
generates considerable interest and
expectations, this movie is not a project of
the Prelature of Opus Dei, and the few
members of Opus Dei involved in it are
acting in an entirely personal capacity." (http://www.josemariaescriva.info/article/roland-joffe-film-there-be-dragons
) Those who have experienced Opus
Dei's manipulation and deception firsthand
know better.
For further information
on "There Be Dragons":
Wikipedia -
gives some good information but needs to be
read with caution as sources are not always
identified or confirmed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Be_Dragons
Hollywood Reporter
Film Review
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/be-dragons-film-review-171212
Variety Film Review
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117944888/
Opus Dei's spin on the
movie:
http://www.josemariaescriva.info/article/roland-joffe-film-there-be-dragons
For Testimonies about Opus Dei click on the
following: Testimonies and
Other Writings
New Book about Opus Dei Available
on Kindle
OPUS DEI
THE FALSE WORK OF GOD
A GUIDE TO FAMILIES
ALL OVER THE WORLD
http://www.amazon.com/Opus-Dei-false-Families-ebook/dp/B004RZIC68
BOOK REVIEW
by the author, Betty Silberstein
This book was born from the effort of a common person to be
acquainted with an organism which has in the secrecy one of its most
outstanding characteristics: the Opus Dei, or The Work. This work presents itself as a valuable instrument for the
understanding of this phenomenon embedded in the Catholic Church.
Knowledge is certainly the most efficient instrument in the combat
of indoctrination. And, as the title announces, the goal of this
book is to alert families about the insidious way Opus Dei filters
through them, in order to take their children away afterwards.
The reading of this book is extremely useful not only for Catholic
families, because this organization can attack anyone, Catholic or
not. Once it gets close to people who they want to co-opt, the
members do not even explain their true objectives or their actual
practices. Therefore, the publication of Opus Dei addresses,
companies, schools and entities linked to it, is something of very
high value, since parents have now the possibility to know that the
place their children are attending is not only a “kids’ club”, or a
simple catechism class, or free tutoring classes, but, mostly, a
recruitment center for young persons from an extremely reactionary
Catholic entity.
BETTY SILBERSTEIN
Betty is a former teacher. Nowadays she is a writer, translator and
reviser. She took part in several Anthologies, in Brazil and abroad
(France and the US). She has received many awards for her
work, among them the Médaille d´Argent, from the Académie
de Arts Sciences et Lettres de Paris.
She is a Member and Counselor for REBRA (Brazilian Women
Writers Net), where her homepage may be accessed.
http://www.rebra.org/escritora/escritora_ptbr.php?id=1315
Her e-mail is:
bettyescritora@silber.com.br
Opus Dei Bishop Appointed Head of Los
Angeles Diocese
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez was
announced coadjutor and future archbishop of the Los Angeles diocese
on April 6, 2010. Ordained as an Opus Dei priest in 1978,
Gomez is the first Latino archbishop in Los Angeles. The Los
Angeles diocese is the largest diocese in the United States and one
of the largest in the world. Gomez will succeed Cardinal Roger
M. Mahony in February 2011 when Manony turns 75, the age when
bishops must submit their resignation to the Pope.
Born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1951,
Gomez joined Opus Dei when in college. He has degrees in
business and philosophy from the National University of New Mexico
(1975) and a doctorate in theology from the Opus Dei-run University
of Navarre. Previous to his appointment in Los Angeles, Gomez
was archbishop in San Antonio, Texas since 2005. Gomez became
a US citizen in 1995.
News reports predict that it is
likely Gomez will be appointed a cardinal in the years ahead.
In an article written by John Allen Jr., Gomez is quoted as saying
that
"he is not a "member" of Opus Dei, but
rather that he was ordained a priest in Opus Dei and that his
spirituality reflects that background. If he's a "member" of
anything now, he says, it's the diocese he leads."
Testimonies
about Opus Dei:
"Opus Dei Recruits Minors and Deceives
Church Officials"
"Opus Dei Superiors Lied to Church Officials"
"Government, Direction and Control in Opus Dei"
"Fathers, don't let your sons grow up to be Opus
Dei recruits"
Included with these testimonies are
the guidelines issued by the now deceased Cardinal
Basil Hume in 1981 in England (Cardinal
Hume Guidelines) directing Opus Dei to comply
with a
number of criteria,
including not allowing minors to make any commitments to
Opus Dei;
requiring that minors
discuss the matter with their parents or guardians before
making any
commitments;
allowing Opus Dei members to choose their own spiritual directors(in Opus Dei or not) and enter
or leave the organization without undue pressure.
The testimonies show clearly
that Opus Dei before, during and after that time period, has
clearly violated all those guidelines while making false statements
to church officials. While
several of the authors have chosen to remain anonymous for various
reasons, including fear of
repercussions from Opus Dei, ODAN has verified that they are true
accounts written by sincere
individuals who contacted ODAN with the desire that their stories be known. It is ODAN's hope
that by posting this information for public perusal it will lead to
a change in Opus Dei's
deceptive and unethical practices.
The testimonies can be found under
Testimonies and Other
Writings.
Opus Dei's
Forbidden Book List
Opus Dei's "Index of Forbidden
Books" which they continue to deny using, has been updated
thanks to the Spanish sister group
Opus Libros.
The new list which is believed to be
current as of 2003,
can be accessed as an Excel spreadsheet at the
following link:
Index of Forbidden Books New
About ODAN
The
Opus Dei Awareness Network, Inc. (ODAN) was founded in 1991 to meet
the growing demand
for accurate information
about Opus Dei and to
provide education, outreach and support to people
who have been
adversely affected by Opus Dei. ODAN challenges many of Opus Dei's
Questionable
Practices because of the way they affect an individual's personal
freedom,
choices
and family life.
Since
1991, ODAN has been in contact with countless individuals, families,
the secular and religious
press, clergy,
religious, cult awareness
organizations, campus ministers, home-schooling parents and more.
ODAN
is a worldwide community of people who have had painful experiences
as a result of their
association with Opus
Dei.
Contact
Us
ODAN
is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible.
Please support our work to continue
providing information about Opus Dei.
| Opus
Dei Awareness Network, Inc.
P.O. Box 4333
Pittsfield, MA 01202-4333
Telephone: 413-499-7168
Fax: 413-499-7860
Email: odan@odan.org
Executive
Director: Dianne DiNicola |
Revised December 19, 2011
|
