LA Times: Controversial Opus Dei Has Stake in Papal Vote

Nothing Without Hope

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Tue Apr-19-05 08:51 AM
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LA Times: Controversial Opus Dei Has Stake in Papal Vote

I'm betting their behind-the-scenes influence in the Church these days is very strong indeed. This article is long but doesn't go very deep. Still, it focusses on a very influential and secretive group that is often whispered about but seldom reported on. They must have really hated their notoriety thanks to The DaVinci Code. That book's author makes a point of emphasizing the reality of Opus Dei in the explanatory material. I didn't realize the bishop of San Antonio is one of their members until I read this LAT article. They do turn up all over, more, it seems, all the time. And that is NOT good news.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-opus19apr19,0,5666317.story?coll=la-home-headlines
April 19, 2005
SELECTING A NEW POPE

Controversial Opus Dei Has Stake in Papal Vote

By Larry B. Stammer and Tracy Wilkinson, Times Staff Writers

(snip)

Opus Dei flourished during John Paul's pontificate. In 1982, he took the unprecedented step of making Opus Dei a personal prelature of the church, answerable not to local bishops in the dioceses where it operated, but to the pope alone.

(snip)

About 3,000 of the group's 85,000 members live in the U.S. It has 1,875 priests worldwide, according to a Vatican report this year. One of its bishops, Jose H. Gomez, now heads the Diocese of San Antonio. Opus Dei has opened a $42-million, 17-story headquarters in Manhattan, and operates student outreach centers throughout the country, including one near UCLA.

In 1998, John Paul granted the title "university" to Opus Dei's athenaeum in Rome, making it the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, one of six such institutions in the city.

As for the future, Opus Dei officials said they were not worried. Their status in the church as a personal prelature is cast in canon law. To alter Opus Dei's status, a new pope would have to change the canon law, and that is not expected.

(snip)

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xultar

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Tue Apr-19-05 08:53 AM
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1. Answered only to the Pope. WOW.. That's some big effin stuff.

I wonder then who they want. I'm sure the Nigerian won't make the cut.
Poor bruva man.

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Nothing Without Hope

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Tue Apr-19-05 09:08 AM
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2. They are hyper-ultra-reactionary, as well as believers in deliberately

inflicting pain on oneself - it's really disgusting stuff. Sex is obvously out, as are most pleasures. But not the pleasure of power, that one they like very much indeed. If someone who is progressive or even moderate wins the papacy, we'll know that Opus Dei is much weaker than was thought. But I'm afraid they and the other reactionaries are going to overrule the voices of reason and compassion in the choice of the new pope. I hope I'm wrong.

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xultar

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Tue Apr-19-05 12:12 PM
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4. Shows how religions are mostly the same cuz Muslims do it too

So when I hear people commenting on the self infliction pix of Muslims I say to them don't be so elitist calling them animals cuz there are some Christian sects who practice the exact same thing.
I love to see the looks on their faces.
Then I remark that Muslims use strung prayer beads much like the Catholics and Catholics have skull caps like Jews.
Then the person I inform of reality often look as if their head exploded. WOW I love that.

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Nothing Without Hope

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Tue Apr-19-05 09:29 AM
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3. For a real trip - here's Opus Dei's web site

http://www.opusdei.org/index.php?w=32

You can read all sorts of stuff there, like this: " Letter of the Prelate of Opus Dei on the occasion of the Conclave: A letter sent by Bishop Javier Echevarr�a to the members of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, the faithful of the Prelature of Opus Dei, cooperators and friends"

Here's a sample paragraph:
Let us also pray that all Catholics may know how to see this new period with eyes of faith, without paying attention to considerations foreign to supernatural logic. There comes to mind the memory of the first audience that Paul VI granted to our founder, in January 1964. At the end, Don Alvaro also came in, and the Pope said to him: we have known each other for so many years, and �sono diventato vecchio,� I have become old. Don Alvaro immediately replied: �No, Santita, lei � diventato Pietro,� you have become Peter. Since the beginning of this year, I have been asking everyone to pray the aspiration Omnes cum Petro ad Iesum per Mariam: all with Peter, to Jesus, through Mary. These words that I heard from St. Josemar�a take on special meaning during these days. We don�t know who the next Pope will be, but whoever he is, he will be Peter. And we are already accompanying him with our prayer, going to the intercession of Holy Mary, Mother of the Church.

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Nothing Without Hope

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Tue Apr-19-05 12:44 PM
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5. Ratzinger has Opus Dei links - is chief "enforcer" in Church

Edited on Tue Apr-19-05 01:08 PM by Nothing Without Hope

Another sentence from LAT article:
But recently, several Italian newspapers breathlessly reported that the two Opus Dei cardinals were throwing their support behind the candidacy of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a German-born traditionalist who has served as chief enforcer of church doctrine for two decades.

Ratzinger has long been head of the Church organization that used to be called the Inquisition.

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