Opus Dei—a Fascist Organization?

OPUS DEI—A FASCIST ORGANIZATION?

Opus Dei claims that it was “founded by God” on October 2, 1928, a date proximate to the time of introduction of fascism in Spain. In addition, the rise and growth of Opus Dei in Spain parallels Spain’s rapid development during the sixties under the dictator Franco. Not surprisingly, therefore, it is plausible to claim that the fascist ideas circulating from the late twenties of the last century until the year of Franco’s death had a major influence on Saint Josemaria Escriva and that this influence naturally extended to the so-called “spirit” of Opus Dei.

When we closely examine some of Escriva’s ideas about Christian spirituality, their fascist character is very apparent.

begin Fascist Culture

The culture that became embedded in Francoist Spain has been summarised by del Arco Blanco as ‘the disqualification of those who had lost the war (the “reds”), and the negation of everything the Republic had stood for (qualified with the prefix of “anti-”).’ This ‘war culture’ was sustained through myths, symbols, ‘heroes’, ‘martyrs’, commemorations and values, encouraging ‘victory not reconciliation, and punishment rather than forgiveness.’  And importantly, it was here that the Falange was able to make one of its most significant impacts.’ Right up until the 1970s it was the Falange which exerted control over the media and propaganda. This ‘gave the regime an appearance, and Spain a politico-cultural atmosphere, that were ostentatiously “fascist”,’ writes Blinkhorn.

One of the key tools for establishing this culture, already firmly established in Spanish society, was religion – or more specifically Catholicism, the declared state religion under Franco. During the civil war, the Spanish Catholic Church had played an important role in rousing support for the rebels and Francoists – to whom it had given full support – with the bishop of Salamanca, Enrique Pla y Deniel, declaring the Civil War as a ‘crusade for religion, the Fatherland and Christian civilization’ in September 1936.

Spanish Catholicism aimed to instil ‘a way of disciplining the work-force by granting the possibility of “redemption” through total obedience to authority.’ The Francoist state’s direct association with Catholicism, as opposed to the Republic’s secularism, meant it could attract support from ‘respectable’ Spaniards and seize upon the language and imagery of religion to convey its own legitimacy. end

Link: https://jodebloggs.wordpress.com/2016/03/13/was-francoist-spain-a-fascist-state/  

The above article, “To what extent did Franco impose a ‘Fascist’ state and identity on Spain?” alludes to the fascist attributes of Franco’s regime that, interestingly, also define Opus Dei qua organization—anti-Communism, militarism, triumphal nationalism...mythmaking, censorship, and propaganda under the direction and control of the state...authoritarianism, and anti-liberalism.

Unlike in Germany, Italy, and Japan, fascism in Spain was “successful”—Franco established a stable social and political order after the Spanish Civil War, and under his dictatorial rule Spain attained outstanding economic development. Under these historical conditions, fascist ideas naturally gained widespread currency, building deep foundations in Spanish society, in Opus Dei in particular.

begin Spain differs because while Hitler and Mussolini were utterly defeated, Franco won. “Germans know that they were on the wrong side,” says Javier Cercas, whose million-selling 2001 novel, Soldiers of Salamis, grappled with how Spain remembers its civil war – and whose mass success proved how much the question still burns. “There was no blurring. In Spain, there’s blurring. On German TV you can’t see people saying Hitler was great. You can in Spain,” he says, speaking of a Francoist nostalgia that has not been entirely extinguished. end

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/28/spain-lingering-legacy-franco

The following article identifies the attributes of fascist and quasi-fascist groups in the Roman Catholic Church:

http://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2017/11/fascism-and-quasi-fascism-in-roman.html

Based on the foregoing article, we apply to Opus Dei the following framework consisting of fascist and quasi-fascist attributes:

- Anti-liberalism

- Anti-Communism

- Religious reaction

- Authoritarianism

- Group superiority complex

- Metaphysical community

- Mythic ideology

- Triumphalism

- Aggression

- Militarism

- Repression

- Recapitulation of fascist motifs, e.g. struggle, “will,” purity, cleansing, etc.
- Corporatism

See: https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2017/11/placeholder.html