Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church

Gareth Gore's "Opus" is a carefully researched and thorough examination of the history of Opus Dei, the Catholic "personal prelature" whose status is currently under review by the Vatican.Gore makes expert use of his access to many current and former members of Opus Dei and to the archives of Banco Popular, a former Spanish bank that was suddenly put into resolution in 2017, to explain how Opus Dei expanded around the world. Using interviews with former members and whistleblowers, Gore lays out how the group's founder, Jose Maria Escriva, was quite uncertain about his vocation, vacillating between law and the priesthood, and continually evolving Opus Dei's structure in its early years. The constant, however, was money, and Escriva's need for regular infusions of cash to keep his network of student residences afloat and to expand even further. By the post-World War II period, Opus Dei was able to worm its way into the patronage networks of the Franco regime (government positions, shady business contracts) and access tens of millions of dollars in funds. The crucial development for Opus Dei came in the 1950s when it secured control of Spain-based Banco Popular and used the bank, unbeknownst to its regular shareholders, to fund Opus Dei's expansion to Rome and other parts of the world, providing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and donations to fund Opus Dei initiatives in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. So, rather than Opus Dei being the result of a saint with a vision creating an organization that providentially expanded by winning new converts, Opus Dei is actually the result of a vain, pompous, ill-tempered bully of a priest who adapted to the times and used financial chicanery to make up for the lack of appeal of his vision.In the last half of the book, Gore turns to Opus Dei in the United States, and carefully lays out how many of the hallmarks of the group's early years -- greed, attraction to illiberal politicians, secrecy, poor judgments on personnel -- bore poisonous fruit. Gore unearths a great deal of new material on the disgraced Fr. C. John McCloskey III, a former stockbroker who turned his pressure sales tactics to winning wealthy and influential recruits in DC, along the way enabling the FBI agent and Russian spy Robert Hanssen (after another Opus Dei priest in the early 1980s told him not bother reporting his espionage) and being removed for groping a woman during spiritual direction. Gore also lays out the symbiotic relationship between Leonard Leo's push appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court and networks of Opus Dei-linked organizations which supplied personnel and activists to the cause while siphoning off tens of millions of dollars in donations.The only caution I would make is that the structure of the book is, perhaps unintentionally, misleading. The book moves from Spain to Rome to numerary assistants around the world to Opus Dei in the United States. Gore does not explain his decision to structure the book in this way, except to assert that Opus Dei's current situation in the United States is the logical evolution of Escriva's practice. Why not include an examination of current Opus Dei influence in the United Kingdom (where Gore is based) or in Spain? Or Ecuador (where the current President is a member of Opus Dei)?That said, what Gore has unearthed is disturbing enough, and, hopefully, this book will prompt members of Opus Dei and those close to them to reconsider their association with the organization and walk away.

An extremely serious and well researched book on the most powerful -- and most corrosive -- sect in the Catholic Church today. Having served as a leading financial journalist at Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg, Gore methodically details what many sincere Catholics have long suspected but could not so comprehensively document: that Opus Dei habitually disregards the laws of both Church and State.All Catholics, especially those in America, should buy and carefully read this book. This cult of avarice has become so wealthy and powerful that not even the Pope has been able to bring it to justice after decades of repeated scandals. Many Catholics -- including powerful Cardinals and bishops -- are aware of its lawlessness, but are too frightened to speak out due to its financial influence and intimidation tactics.This deceptive and ruthless sect has greatly damaged the integrity of the Catholic Church, especially in the United States. Today, as Gore documents, it has brought its perversion of the Gospel of Christ into the highest corridors of American political power. What was once a problem for just Catholics has now become a problem for all Americans.

While the majority of the book deals with Opus Dei’s infiltration into the inner workings of Banco Popular and its siphoning off of the bank’s profits eventually leading to the bank’s demise, it offers a cautionary tale about this institution. A strong supporter of Franco ( Opus Dei supernumeraries held half of the cabinet positions), its fascist, anti democratic tendencies are now apparent in the U.S. Leonard Leo, a supernumerary, has engineered a conservative takeover of the Supreme Court that has overturned Roe v Wade, weakened affirmative action, voting rights, and climate change, as well as strengthening gun rights and corporate rights. Peter Thiel is a close ally, and if his protege, JD Vance, wins the vice presidency and then the presidency, democracy will be threatened. Thiel has made no secret of his anti democratic tendencies and JDVance’s rhetoric is straight out of Opus Dei’s playbook.

This is a fantastic book with the history of it and how it works. It opens your eyes to what the "group" is and how it treats people, especially women.I thought Scientology was horrible... this group is as bad if not worse.They want control and they don't seem to care how they get. OH AND MONEY. THEY REALLY LOVE MONEY.I am rereading it, as there is a lot to take in.

A secret informant high in the Swiss Alps. Digging thru dusty archives in Spain. Young people held like slaves. And, a slow rolling coup in the United States by secretive Catholic Holy Warriors?The only thing missing is being chased by killer Nazis.Opus by Gareth Gore is the true story, unreported until now, of religion, money, treachery and political power on four continents. More incredible than the Da Vinci Code. Scarier than Stephen King.Gore meticulously documents w 100 pages of source and footnotes. The first part of the book deals w the history of Opus Dei, its founder, Spain banking scandals, Vatican intrigue and human trafficking in Argentina.The last one-third of the book (approx 100 pages) details the 30-year long efforts of Leonard Leo and the Washington, DC K St Opus Dei center to seize power in the United States. They are JD Vance away from completing that Hail Mary.If they haven’t read this book, the smart oped lawyers, Twitter pundits and Sunday morning talk show reporters in DC don’t have a clue re what is going on in this town.Read with the lights on…