I think the Opus Dei folks might be a little nuts... but what a patronizing article about Christians, as if being one somehow would mean that you just naturally would stay away from anything rational.
If the Guardian is that upset about them they must be doing God's work.
Clearly a reference to the Guardian in general and Andy Beckett in particular, correct?
The following explains the correct Catholic concept of obedience as it has been taught for 2000 years.
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OBEDIENCE AND THE FAITH
It is the teaching of the Church that obedience is part of justice, one of the four cardinal virtues, which are in turn subordinate to the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Faith is greater than obedience! Therefore, if obedience acts to harm the faith, than a Catholic has a duty not to obey his superior.
"Now sometimes the things commanded by a superior are against God, therefore superiors are not to be obeyed in all things." -- St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church, Summa Theologica II-IIQ. 104
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema." -- Galatians 1:8
According to the great theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, true obedience is a balance between twin errors of defect and excess, which are disobedience and false obedience (IIa IIae, Q104, 5 and 3). Today this second error is common among Catholics who, when they follow orders to depart from Tradition, think they are being obedient.
Where there is a proximate danger to the faith, prelates must be rebuked, even publicly, by subjects. Thus, St. Paul who was subject to St. Peter, rebuked him publicly. --St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians 2:14
We ought to obey God...rather than men. -- Acts 5:29
And there is no reason why those who obey God rather than men should be accused of refusing obedience; for if the will of rulers is opposed to the will and the laws of God, these rulers exceed the bounds of their own power and pervert justice, nor can their authority then be valid, which, when there is no justice, is null. -- Leo XIII, Diuturnum Illud.
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Contrast the above teachings with those found in Msgr. Escriva's "The Way".
Maxim 61: Whenever a layman sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, he frequently errs; laymen can only be disciples.
Maxim 941: Obedience, the sure way. Blind obedience to your superior, the way of sanctity. Obedience in your apostolate, the only way: for, in a work of God, the spirit must be to obey or to leave.
Excerpt from "Studies on The Way" -- At that time, The Way prepared millions of people to come into harmony with, and to imbibe, on a deep level, some of the most revolutionary teachings which thirty years later would be solemnly promulgated by the Church at Vatican II.
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The quotes directly above point to a clear break with the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church on obedience. It is self admitted to be revolutionary and novel. It is therefore not Catholic.
(For it is a master-stroke of Satan to get Catholics to disobey the whole of Tradition in the name of obedience." --Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre)
As soon as the article mentioned "the DeVinci Code" I lost interest. That book would be a joke if so many didn't believe it
Essentially, a Spanish-speaking cult look for an agenda among people opposed to liberation theology. Why it should attract a socialist minister is baffling. Strange.
I had alot of experience with Opus Dei when I was an undergrad at Notre Dame. Much of what this article says about them is true - they are secretive (unecessarily so) and focus their recruitment among the professional elites. Of all the Opus Dei members in South Bend I met, only one was not affiliated with Notre Dame, and he was a doctor. South Bend is a very blue collar town, yet this was not reflected in OD's membership there. Make of that what you will.
Still this article maligns CHristians in general - questioning why an educated woman would be attracted to conservative Catholicism. Indeed, most opposition to OD comes from liberals both in and outside the CHurch. THere are plenty of reasons for orthodox Catholics to be concerned about OD, but the dominant voices against Opus Dei are generally opposed to anything orthodox.
I wouldn't touch OD again with a ten foot pole. But there is no reason to fear any member of OD gaining a position of power in the govt. They generally keep to themselves; one will only experience the unpleasant side of OD if one is actively involved or being recruited by the group. I wouldn't want to be close friends with an OD member, but I certainly wouldn't mind having one as my boss or government minister. At that point, the only thing the rest of us have to fear from an OD member is conservative Catholicism. If that scares you, then you have bigger problems to deal with.....
Maybe his Daddy was in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.
Opus Dei is an excellent apostolate and Fr. Escriva was a Saint.