Spiritual Abuse in Opus Dei

 

 

SPIRITUAL ABUSE IN OPUS DEI

Spiritual abuse

“‘They don’t give you time to think, to criticize and say that you don’t like it. You have to endure because you have to surrender totally to God.’”

“They claim that Opus Dei priests and other members exercised ‘coercion of conscience’ on the women to pressure them to serve and to frighten them with spiritual evils if they didn’t comply with the supposed will of God.”

“…Those women alleged spiritual and psychological abuse, of being separated from family and being told their discomfort was ‘God’s will’ and that abandoning their vocation would be tantamount to abandoning God.”

“…Beatriz Delgado, who worked for Opus Dei for 23 years in Argentina and Uruguay, said she was told ‘that I had to give my salary to the director and that everyone gave it. ... It was part of giving to God.’

“‘They convince you with the vocation, with “God calls you, God asks this of you, you cannot fail God.” ... They hooked me with that,’ she said.”

“…these Numerary Assistants comprise the least educated class within the hierarchy of the institute and hold little to no decision-making power within the ranks. Instead, they are to work in a spirit of ‘full submission,’ according to the Constitutions.”

“…not surprising to those who recognize the structural sin of sexism within Catholicism, equally reflected in the hierarchy of Opus Dei, Numerary Assistants -- those with the least power -- are only allowed to be women, most of whom were recruited when they were young.”

Commentary

The justification for practices that are on its face abusive is religious. Religious language is used to rationalize the system—“surrender,” “submission,” “will of God,” “vocation.” However, from alternate legitimate standpoints, the system isn’t inspired by God at all, since it violates human rights. How can it come from God if it perpetrates evil?

The system in fact illustrates the abuse of religion; it instantiates what has been described as “too much religion.”

Father Jake Anderson (0:09):

“Is it possible to be too religious?...Is it possible to be too Christian?...It is actually possible to be too religious. Do you remember in the gospel who Jesus reserved the harshest words for in Scripture?...Jesus reserved the harshest words of…condemnation for the Pharisees. …Interestingly, the Pharisees were the ‘most religious’ people of the time. They loved the law. They were quite meticulous at it. …they preached, talked a lot, but they did not practice. Second, and this is a little more subtle,…they elevated the importance of the petty things over and above the more weighty things.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJqhruW5Kkw

—Gopher Catholic, “Can you be too religious?” YouTube video, 6:44 minutes, April 6, 2024

Psychological harm and damage

“They were recruited and separated from their families between the ages of 12 and 16.”

“Most of the women asked to leave as the physical and psychological demands became intolerable. …Many also said they needed psychological treatment after leaving Opus Dei.”

“Beginning at the age of 14, she was encouraged to distance herself from her family for 15 years and during that time grew progressively ill.

“In 2001, her parents intervened and helped her to recover after a doctor said she should not return to Opus Dei for the sake of her health.”

Commentary

Cultic alienation from the family which Opus Dei imposes on young people potentially results in their psychological harm and dysfunction, which can be severe.

Basically, emotional and psychological damage occurs when cults purport to substitute for the family.

Because the family is a critical source of psychological and emotional support for children and youth, the love and solicitude of the family is necessary for their healthy psychological development. Damaging or destroying family relations at such a critical point in human development can cause lasting, even lifetime harm. Categorically, cult membership and love-bombing does not substitute for a supportive and loving family.

https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-work-of-evil-spirit.html

Human trafficking

0:10

On March 16th 2024 at 6:31 UTC, the Financial Times, a little newspaper that you might have heard of, published an article titled The Opus Dei Diaries by Antonia Cundy, how girls around the world were coerced into decades of grueling service to a secretive Catholic group. This topic brings me no joy…it has never brought me joy…but from the moment that I first learned about assistant numeraries and about the hell that they are put through in this organization, I felt compelled to do everything that I can to amplify their experiences and shed light on the truth of what this organization is. I’ve done that through many different videos at this point over the course of several years, and so while this is not a joyful occasion, there is something curiously vindicating about the fact that the discussion around this organization’s alleged crimes is finally gaining enough momentum to attract the notice of a publication as well recognized and read as the Financial Times. That is significant, and I don’t think that it can be overstated. Change and progress and awareness are extremely slow in coming…particularly when it meets the type of opposition that an organization as well off as Opus Dei is able to put up. However, with every single story that comes out, there is a growing volume of damning evidence against what I consider to be one of the most predatory and opportunistic religious organizations in the world. For my own part, this channel has and always will be focused on exposing the truth one video at a time, and when necessary amplifying the voices of those who have been silenced for far too long.

5:31

There are many assistant numeraries across the world living lives quite similar to the one I have explained. I feel that these women’s human rights are severely breached by the attitudes and rules of Opus Dei. However, Opus Dei continues to justify and allow this type of status to exist. It can only be described as a serious exploitation of a vulnerable group of women in the name of God. It’s actually abuse, that’s what it is. It’s child abuse…it’s emotional and it’s physical as regards the actual like morning to night working…and there’s no other word for it…it’s child abuse.

6:25

[Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 4] No one shall be held in servitude.

7:08

If you were to print this article out, it would be over 30 pages long. It is lengthy and comprehensive, and after reading through it the themes that emerged for me are those of manipulation, love bombing, lying, and coercion—serious issues that need to be discussed and addressed. Because the article is so lengthy, I won’t be reading it in its entirety here, so if you have not had a chance yet to read through it yourself, there are two links down in the description of this video, along with all of my other sources. The first link will take you to the Financial Times itself with the article. It is behind a pay wall, but if you are in a position to be able to support good journalism, I would ask that you consider doing so, because this type of work is extremely important and it does come at a cost. It’s not easy to do. However, I don’t want a pay wall to be the reason why someone does not get access to this information, and so the second link [https://archive.is/KkSRU] is for an archived version of the article, and you can access that and share it as many times as you want to, and I would ask that you please do so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvMQq8M_3Ko&t=619s

—TheDeepDiveProject, “Opus Dei is NOT above the LAW (trafficking, exploitation, lies, and coercion) | Opus Dei Deep Dive,” YouTube video, 1:35:37 hours, May 23, 2024

Regulatory fraud founded on idolatry

1:58

I am…if you haven’t guessed it by now referring to the international ecclesiastical institutional complaint against Opus Dei for regulatory fraud against the Holy See and the members themselves. It is a 20-page document and the information contained…because it is 20 pages I cannot go over every single bit of it even though it is all significant so I will leave a link down in the description of this video…I highly encourage you to go and read it for yourself…it’s been translated into…seven or eight languages.

3:56

Let’s start with why this complaint is being levied in the first place, the authors say that it is Opus Dei’s institutional regulatory fraud which has become systematically hidden from the Church hierarchy, this situation has allowed the statutes, the legal normative document of Opus Dei, to be de facto replaced by 46 internal documents with a normative character, both external and internal. The daily government of Opus day was based on these documents where the bases are laid for the systematic violation of respect for the dignity of the person through abuses of power, conscience, and spirituality.

6:00

At the end of the day the bottom line is that because of the fact that Opus Dei sued Opuslibros for having those books on their website, [Opus Dei] essentially [was] forced to admit that they actually do exist despite everything that they have ever said to the contrary.

6:43

They say this, from the beginning [Escriva] seemed to consider himself a special and extraordinary figure with a transcendental mission. He manifests in his writings that his role is quasi-messianic, frequently above the Supreme Pontiff and the hierarchy of the Church, a…problem rooted in Opus Dei since its inception is its ideologization. Opus Dei members are…guided to consider the founder and his successors not with respect and affection but as depositories of a faith…which they call theological.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBI0OwS6-_M

—TheDeepDiveProject, “This information could RUIN Opus Dei - International Complaint of Fraud | Opus Dei Deep Dive,” YouTube video, 1:02:11 hours, September 10, 2023

The complaint here appears to be that the ecclesiastical law that is supposed to regulate Opus Dei is its statutes publicly registered with the Vatican.

However, Opus Dei internally mandates 46 secret documents to substitute and supersede the statutes—originally registered decades ago, I am guessing in 1950 with the Congregation for Religious.

The Congregation for Religious was originally started by Pope Sixtus V in 1587 as the Sacred Congregation for Consultations About Regulars, after which it was renamed by Pope Saint Pius X in 1908. It was renamed again by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1967 as the Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes.

Pope Saint John Paul II in 1982 promulgated the statutes of Opus Dei as the first personal prelature in the Roman Catholic Church.

Since 2022 Opus Dei has been supervised by the Dicastery for the Clergy.

Allegedly there is regulatory fraud because Opus Dei does not follow the statutes registered with the Vatican but rather enforces its own internal rules, specifically, the content of the 46 secret documents. Opus Dei plays by its own rules (no surprise here).

The underlying basis for the alleged abuse by Opus Dei is a basic and overriding assumption: Escriva is the infallible origin and source of a charism allegedly from God that has to be strictly followed by everyone in Opus Dei in all its details. It is this theology decades-old that really should be brought to the light of day and dealt with on its merits. As I have argued in the past, it is a theology that is at least partially spurious, and in this respect it is idolatrous. The pope has to weigh in and pronounce on this theology, because based on at least hundreds of testimonies it has deleterious spiritual and related effects on thousands of lives.

Description of the Complaint for Regulatory Fraud

begin

In the complaint, the “secret normative documents that Opus Dei has systematically hidden from the Holy See” are presented, which the complainants consider “fundamental evidence” of the same. In the summary with which the letter begins, the “characteristics of sectarian drift that can be seen in Opus Dei” are emphasized, among which, as a Decalogue, the following stand out:

The group is united by a doctrine that is transmitted in a ‘messianic’ way and is led by a charismatic figure who considers himself the possessor of the Absolute Truth.

The structure of the group is theocratic, vertical and totalitarian.

Total adherence to the group is required, which implies distancing from social relationships, affective ties and previous activities.

Members live in a closed community or in total psychological dependence on the group.

Individual liberties and the privacy of the followers are suppressed.

The information that reaches the members of the group is controlled.

A set of manipulation and coercive persuasion techniques is used, such as meditation or spiritual rebirth.

A more or less strong rejection of the rest of society is encouraged, considering them enemies or at least suspects.

The main activities of the group are proselytizing and collecting money.

Under duress or psychological pressure, [from the] followers are obtained the delivery of their personal assets and considerable sums of money.

Seven consequences [derive] from regulatory fraud…:

Abuse of conscience, spiritual and power abuse

Fraud [with respect to] the concept of “spiritual family” [resulting in] depression, suicides, psychiatric issues

Ideologization of the figure of the founder

Fraud to the Church

Fraud to the state and civil society

Distortion of the Christian vocation, aggressive proselytism

Auxiliary numeraries [spiritual abuse and human trafficking]

end

https://opus-info.org/index.php?title=File:International_ecclesiastical_institutional_complaint_against_Opus_Dei_for_regulatory_fraud_against_the_Holy_See_and_the_members_themselves.pdf

—Antonio Moya Somolinos and Other Signatories, “International Ecclesiastical Institutional Complaint Against Opus Dei for Regulatory Fraud Against the Holy See and the Members Themselves,” June 27, 2023

https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2021/02/authenticum-charismatis.html

Better late than never

[Parmadale Children’s Village of St. Vincent de Paul, Parma, Ohio]

5:45

“I want my life back.”

6:52

“The [Roman Catholic] Church claims to be, purportedly, the most moral institution in the world, and it acts usually the most [immorally] when it comes to this issue.”

8:06

“The women were also told by the Sisters of Charity that they shouldn’t have gone [public] with the abuse claims.”

“The one lady said I should have never [gone] to the news.”

“Would you be where you are had you not spoken publicly…?”

“Probably not, probably not.”

https://youtu.be/Wc6q6wPZAII?si=3gD3NpeL2ViLsArC

—News 5 Cleveland, “Courageous survivors speak about abuse of children by nuns at orphanage,” YouTube video, 19:20 minutes, December 21, 2022

Religious abuse—

It’s a fact.

Victims are damaged for life.

Fortunately, the scientific community is coming around to acknowledging, recognizing, and understanding it.

Better late than never is the saying.

“What Is Spiritual Abuse?

“Any attempt to exert power and control over someone using religion, faith, or beliefs can be spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse can happen within a religious organization or a personal relationship.

“Spiritual abuse is not limited to one religion, denomination, or group of people. It can happen in any religious group, as an element of child abuse, elder abuse, or domestic violence. Domestic violence [is] also called intimate partner violence...

“Abuse is a pattern in which one individual (whether an intimate partner or person with authority) uses fear, intimidation, violence, or other harm to control another. Abuse can cause serious trauma….”

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/signs-spiritual-abuse

—WebMD Editorial Contributors, medically reviewed by Jennifer Casarella, MD, “Signs of Spiritual Abuse,” WebMD, December 18, 2022

It’s long overdue for the Roman Catholic Church to incorporate the social sciences into their understanding of psychologically healthy spirituality.

Depending only on religion isn’t going be adequate to address the spiritual needs of the faithful.

“Religion only” is “too much religion.”

“Too much religion”

https://youtu.be/pTg7U-6ykbs?si=yokgcGtgmRCH2FJR

—RTÉ News, “The unveiling of Opus Dei | Upfront with Katie Hannon,” YouTube video, 20:42 minutes, April 29, 2024

The institution of the Church seriously lacks an understanding of healthy psychological development. The institution is trapped in a religious box—it’s an instance of “too much religion.” Religion definitely doesn’t have all the answers, and the institution has much that is valuable to learn from the world outside it.

15:32

Katie Hannon (KH): Looking back, how would you characterize your time with them?

Margaret Joyce (MJ): They took away my childhood. …developmental stages of your life, like emotionally, mentally…they took all of that, they took away my self-worth, I find it difficult to accept affection, love…I don’t know how to manage that, I have self-critical, very, very [critical] of myself…it’s actually abuse, that’s what it is, it’s child abuse…it’s emotional and it’s actually physical as regards to morning to night working, and there’s no other word for it, really, it’s child abuse.

18:39

MJ: There’s no acknowledgement by Opus Dei of the hurt they’ve caused, not only to me but to other ex-members who have come out since, and at the end of the day, it’s still my fault here. It’s not about, they’re basically saying, any of their practices or behavior, it’s about how that experience impacted me, and it’s unique to me, and they don’t accept that, and then they’re saying, reach out, basically, to them, for support—so go back to the perpetrators of the abuse for healing, just so that I can be re-traumatized again.

KH: When they say that they have made mistakes and they ask for forgiveness?

MJ: I don’t accept it because what they’re saying there is that…the reason you were hurt or you felt hurt is because…of the way…you experienced it, but…that’s not an apology, it’s saying it’s nothing to do with their practices, it’s just my experience of it. Yet there [are] loads of ex-members that have come forward with all the same stories of hurt and trauma.

https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-work-of-evil-spirit.html

The press is the hero

Why, it has been asked, should we be so publicly critical of the institution? The passivity and cover-up that some Catholics advocate is precisely what propagated the clerical sexual abuse that persisted in the institution for many decades. I don’t believe in the clericalism of the past. Today’s reform requires transparency and accountability from the institution.

https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2023/05/opus-dei-is-cult.html

Opus Dei is a secret society. The Church should not allow this license to continue. Secret societies violate principles of good governance. They lack transparency and avoid accountability. They violate basic rights. They cause psychological and spiritual damage and harm people. They abuse conscience and operate in contravention of the right to religious freedom.

https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2021/02/authenticum-charismatis.html

Among other systemic deficiencies in the Roman Catholic Church, the lack of capacity or outright incapacity to deal justly and effectively with abuse—not only sexual but other forms of abuse as well—occurring within the institution arises from the following attributes of cultural clericalism:

- Absence of due process inside the institution itself

- Absence of adjudicative processes within the institution that deal fairly with all parties in the dispute—clerical reputation is given priority and importance over victim welfare.

It appears that in key instances the actions of the secular police and judicial institutions together with those of the secular press—if they are sufficiently motivated and they exercise the ethics proper to their respective professions—turn out to be necessary in order to obtain justice and fair treatment for the victims. It is only too obvious that you cannot rely on the institution—the Roman Catholic Church—to act against its own interest. Conflict of interest in cases of sexual and other forms of abuse is unmistakable, overriding, and prevalent.

https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2021/03/placeholder-1-of-4.html

If the Church really cares for the victims—it doesn’t, apparently—it should put together a public acknowledgment of the abuses and broadcast the systematic steps it will take to address the dysfunction. It hasn’t. Because the Church’s first priority is its reputation. Unfortunately, the victims are secondary casualties, to be locked up in the closet, if at all possible.

If we review how the clerical sexual abuse crisis in the U.S. was managed, it was the ethical press that was the hero in this sordid decades-long affair. The institution was, bluntly, the oppressor.

https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2023/02/on-spiritual-abuse.html