Description
LESS THAN CATHOLIC. LESS THAN CHRISTIAN?
To its supporters, Opus Dei is a spiritual organization dedicated to preserving Catholic orthodoxy in the face of liberal assaults. To its detractors, it is 'a church within the Church', promoting its own ecclesiastical allegiances, preserving an antiquated set of spiritual and penitential practices - including the wearing of 'instruments of mortification' like the cilice or spiked bracelet - and supporting repressive dictatorships of the right in Central and South America.
Michael Walsh - an eminent Catholic historian and former Jesuit- investigates the secret world of Opus Dei; detailing its beginnings in Spain sixty years ago and its association with Franco's regime; its development into a world-wide organization of some 80,000 members; and its unique status as an autonomous entity under the special protection of the Pope. Drawing upon interviews and previously unavailable documents, he paints an often chilling portrait of the movement's authoritarian founder, Escrivรก de Balaguer, and uncovers new facts about Opus Dei's relations with the Vatican, its finances and charities, its recruitment of members and its schools and universities
Revealing the truth behind the speculation, The Secret World Of Opus Dei is an authoritative, gripping and hard-hitting exposรฉ of the reactionary nature of a powerful and shadowy institution.
ISBN: 9780586207345
