Interview with Vatican reporter John Allen, author of Opus Dei:... on Now

On WHYY and NPR stations today. On now! at 3:00pm in most of the East.

Inside the Sect: 'Opus Dei'

by Terry Gross
Audio for this story will be available at approx. 3:00 p.m. ET

Fresh Air from WHYY, November 28, 2005 · Opus Dei is an international lay Catholic group whose core ideal is the sanctification of work. But critics and some former members have accused the group of having cult-like practices and promoting a right-wing agenda.

Opus Dei was founded in Spain in 1928; today, it has 84,000 members in 80 countries. For many, the group first gained wide attention when it was portrayed in Dan Brown's best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code. The thriller depicted the group as a repository for arcane knowledge and fervent -- even dangerous -- belief.

Vatican reporter John Allen's new book is Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church. The book is being billed as the first serious journalistic investigation of the highly secretive organization. Allen writes for the National Catholic Reporter; he is also a Vatican analyst for CNN and NPR.

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5029154>
Read an excerpt from Opus Dei: (and hear online audio at link above)