Free Republic

ROME (AP) - The conservative religious group Opus Dei has asked for a disclaimer on the upcoming film based on the best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code." Opus Dei, portrayed as a murderous, power-hungry sect in the novel by Dan Brown, wrote in an April 6 letter to Sony Corp. (SNE) that a disclaimer would show respect to Jesus and to the Catholic Church. "Any such decision by Sony would be a gesture of respect toward the figure of Jesus, to the history of the Church and to the religious beliefs of viewers," Opus Dei wrote in the letter, which...

Font Size: Vidal Baboon By Scott Galupo  Published   03/18/2002   TCS  ALEXANDRIA, VA - Gore Vidal is a weird hybrid, an intellectual schizophrenic with equal affection for radical leftists like Noam Chomsky and America Firsters like Charles Lindbergh. In a 1992 lecture at Harvard University, Vidal described the radical half of his brain this way: "I am a radical reformer. The word 'radical' derives from the Latin word for root. Therefore, if you want to get to the root of anything you must be radical. It is no accident that the word has now been totally demonized by our masters,...

Opus Dei, which has protested its portrayal in "The Da Vinci Code," has embarked on an image-polishing campaign that includes its own book, a report said. New York-based Opus Dei is portrayed as a secretive Roman Catholic organization in the book by author Dan Brown and movie set for release in May, in which fictional assassin Silas is an Opus Dei monk.

So here I am facing another Minnesota winter, looking to expand my mind. Naturally I turn to "The Winter & Spring 2006 Community Education Catalog" of the Eden Prairie, Minnesota public schools, where I see the very first course offering is Da Vinci Code Historical Seminar Did you find the historical events in the 2003 fictional best-seller interesting but too fantastic to believe? Actually, most of the background items cited in the book were tied to events purportedly recorded in history. I struggled with "purportedly recorded" for a while, but decided to move on. As the rest of the description...

Code: ZE05122523 Date: 2005-12-25 Opus Dei on John Allen's New Book We're "Neither Angels nor Demons," Says Spokesman ROME, DEC. 25, 2005 (Zenit.org).- An Opus Dei spokesman has expressed satisfaction with a new book on the personal prelature written by an American journalist. Marc Carroggio, who oversees Opus Dei's relationship with international journalists in Rome, said he was satisfied with the book just published by John Allen. "Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church" has been published so far in English, Portuguese and Korean. Carroggio told ZENIT that...

ROME -- Sure, Peter Bancroft said, he does use a small, cotton whip to lash his back or buttocks once a week (in private). And yes, most days he wears an abrasive metal chain around his thigh for a couple of hours that causes him discomfort but no lasting damage. But no, neither he nor anyone in Opus Dei is a pain-loving murderer like Dan Brown's villain in the enormously successful novel "The Da Vinci Code." "As soon as you meet an Opus Dei member," said Bancroft, sitting in an ornate room in the headquarters of the conservative Catholic lay...

A letter sent by Bishop Javier Echevarría to the members of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, the faithful of the Prelature of Opus Dei, cooperators and friends.10 April 2005 My dear children: may Jesus watch over my daughters and sons for me! I feel the need to write you once again, just a week after my last letter, because of the events we have witnessed during these days, which are a grace from God for his Church. Together with the other shepherds of the People of God, I ask that all of us may deeply assimilate the marvelous...

MADRID, Spain (AP) - As cardinals prepare to elect a new pope, one Catholic community in particular has much at stake - Opus Dei, the ultraconservative movement at the center of the furor generated by "The Da Vinci Code."Founded in Spain in 1928, the movement has more than 80,000 members worldwide, many of them lay people but also hundreds of priests, bishops and even two cardinals among those who will be casting votes in Rome.Its mission, to give lay people a dynamic role in spreading the word of God, enjoyed firm support from John Paul II who championed the movement...

The National Catholic Reporter´s Rome correspondent John Allen is about to publish a study of Opus Dei that challenges its common depiction as a secretive and sinister cult within the Catholic Church. An interview with Allen in Newsweek focuses on the book´s role as an answer to the view of Opus Dei in Dan Brown’s best-selling thriller, The Da Vinci Code. Opus Dei, it says, is a secretive society of men and women who have sought political power to further the interests of a wealthy elite. The book, and Allen, have been praised by conservatives who are normally hostile to...

Ethics & Religionby Michael J. McManus Return to Column Index August 2, 2003 Column #1,144 Father John McCloskey: Catholic Evangelist America's most successful Catholic evangelist since Bishop Fulton J. Sheen is not at all as famous as the bishop was in the 1950s with a weekly network TV show. You have probably never heard of Father C. John McCloskey. However, consider some of his converts: - Dr. Bernard Nathanson, founder of the National Abortion Rights Action League, who was personally involved in 75,000 abortions, before becoming a prominent pro-life advocate with the book "Aborting America" and the stunning video,...

by Pete Vere, JCL Other Articles by Pete Vere, JCL Sifting the Wheat from the Tares: 20 Signs of Trouble in a New Religious Group 03/01/05 Since the closing of the Second Vatican Council, a number of new groups have arisen within the Church. Whereas many new groups start off on the right foot and maintain solid footing, others fall by the wayside. This may be due to poor doctrine or questionable practices. In This Article...Red Flags and Warning SignsFr. Morrisey’s 15 Warning SignsFive Additional Warning Signs from the International Cultic Studies Association Red Flags and Warning Signs As a canon...

Catholics welcome staunch conservative as the top priest in San Antonio Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle San Antonio Bureau SAN ANTONIO - South Texas Catholics filled San Fernando Cathedral on Tuesday night for the solemn installation of Archbishop Jose H. Gomez as their spiritual leader. Gomez, 53, was born in Mexico, educated in Europe and ministered in Houston before serving as an auxiliary bishop in Denver. In December the Vatican chose him to succeed Archbishop Patrick Flores, who last year reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 after more than 25 years as archbishop. About 250 priests, bishops and archbishops joined...

<p>Sickness is not preventing John Paul II from fighting out his last battle. But in the meantime, maneuvers over his succession are underway.</p> <p>In short, two or three Italian candidates might enter the conclave and jockey for leadership, as happened between Giuseppe Siri and Giovanni Benelli in the memorable head-to-head of the second conclave of 1978, the one from which a new man, Wojtyla, finally emerged.</p>

The dictator, the saint and the ministerAfter weeks of speculation, the education secretary Ruth Kelly admitted this week that she receives 'spiritual support' from the secretive Catholic sect Opus Dei. But even if reports of bizarre rituals are exaggerated, why would she be involved with the controversial group in the first place? Andy Beckett investigatesAndy BeckettFriday January 28, 2005GuardianJust over half a century ago in Spain, a new kind of politician began to appear. As government ministers, they were young, energetic and highly competent. They were confident without being overbearing. And they seemed relatively free of fixed political ideas, except...

Key points • Controversial Catholic organisation Opus Dei founded in Spain in 1928 • Group's global membership of 85,000 includes 50 members in Scotland • Numerates practice regular physical discipline such as whipping Key quote "Ten million people have now heard of Opus Dei thanks to The Da Vinci Code. That can only be a good thing - 2005 is going to be the year of Opus Dei" - Jack Valero, Opus Dei’s British press spokesman Story in full IT SITS on a hill, a villa of honey-coloured stone in a leafy suburb on the south side of Glasgow, and...

It wields huge influence in the Vatican yet is condemned as a sinister and ruthless Catholic sect. Now the fundamentalist group is taking control of a British parish for the first time - and one of its members is in the Cabinet. Peter Stanford gains rare access to the closed world of Opus Dei 17 January 2005 From the outside, Netherhall House in Nutley Terrace is a bland 1960s student block, tucked away in one of the maze of streets that tumble down the hill from London's leafy Hampstead Heath to the A41 dual carriageway. But behind the unassuming façade,...

A member of Opus Dei, the controversial Roman Catholic organisation whose members are understood to include Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, has been put in charge of an English parish for the first time. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, has appointed Fr Gerald Sheehan to run St Thomas More church in Swiss Cottage, north London. The appointment will be seen as a vote of confidence in the organisation two years after the Pope, a strong admirer, canonised its Spanish founder, St Josemaria Escriva. But it will also cause raised eyebrows in...

Ok I'll admit that I'm starting this thread because of the book the Da Vinci code which I just finished. What are people's opinions on the Catholic group Opus Dei? Prior to reading the book I had never heard of them except for the Robert Hansen case. I do have Catholic friends, but I know of no one who is a member of Opus Dei

June 26, 2004 Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Psalm: Saturday 28 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading ILam 2:2, 10-14, 18-19 The Lord has consumed without pity all the dwellings of Jacob; He has torn down in his anger the fortresses of daughter Judah; He has brought to the ground in dishonor her king and her princes. On the ground in silence sit the old men of daughter Zion; They strew dust on their heads and gird themselves with sackcloth; The maidens of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground. Worn out from weeping are my...

Let me begin by reminding you of something Saint Cyprian tells us: The universal Church is a people which derives its unity from the unity of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. It is not out of place therefore to preach about the Church on this feast of the most Blessed Trinity. The Church is rooted in this fundamental mystery of our catholic faith: the mystery of God who is one in essence and three in persons. The Fathers all see the Church as centred in the Trinity. Look how clearly Saint Augustine puts it: God...