The Ways of Opus Dei

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Dan Brown's best-selling The Da Vinci Code granted fans access to a thrillingly fictionalized Opus Dei, a religious society both secretive and sinister. Our story on the reality of the Roman Catholic group's rituals, social connections and spiritual convictions inspired readers' aversion, wonder and spirited defense

Thank you for your report on the controversial Catholic organization Opus Dei [April 24]. Any group that is exclusive, isolated and secretive cannot be truly Christian. Just like the press investigations into the protection given to pedophile priests, your article will help the Roman Catholic Church cleanse itself of its secrecy as well as the flaw of gender-determined and gender-dominated leadership. So absorbed are the church leaders in promoting and protecting their agenda that they fail to fulfill their role in the truthful representation of Christ.
Etta Albright
Cresson, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Your article on Opus Dei made plain the dangers of fanaticism and extremism within religious thought. God wants us to hate neither others nor ourselves. The cure for evil must come from God's transformation in us, not from flogging ourselves or vainly trying to impose our ways on others.
Ken Broeckel
Escondido, California, U.S.

time's report on Opus Dei was essentially correct and fair, but the repeated references to the society as "secret" and "secretive" were off the mark. The story is a proof of our transparency, based as it was on interviews with many of the faithful of Opus Dei, who did not hide their membership but on the contrary made an effort to answer all questions, including some of a very personal nature. The photos of the discipline [a small whip] and the cilice [a chain] presented them in such a way that readers might not know whether they were looking at instruments of torture or a means of Christian penance that could fit in the palm of one's hand. Their use is healthier and less painful than having an ear pierced or getting a tattoo. Those means of mortification are used in Opus Dei just as they have been for many centuries by other Catholics. But readers might form an opinion on the basis of those images and the use of the adjective secret that would prevent them from understanding Opus Dei. Still I consider the article essentially accurate in its description of Opus Dei and of the criticism that it receives. It was an honor to cooperate with Time in the story's preparation.
Juan Manuel Mora
Communications Director Opus Dei
Rome

Opus Dei seems to be a great force for good rather than the obscure society some have tried to portray it as. Maybe if more of us listened to Christ's truthful message, we wouldn't be surprised by people who try to live by it. At a minimum, there's the intriguing idea that all politicians, especially those in Latin America, should note: the solution to the problem of poverty is not to identify with the poor but to make them members of the middle class.
Oscar Islas
Mexico City

Recognizing the Da Vinci Code as fiction, I was surprised to learn that Opus Dei actually exists. But your description of the society as secretive was really not fair. People who pray regularly have a quiet confidence that God knows them. Avoiding a public show of faith is not being secretive.
Clement Silva
Bangalore, India

Christ invited all people to celebrate with him in his earthly ministry, but Opus Dei seems to be an exclusive club. Any group that separates itself from daily contact with the faithful violates the teaching that the faithful form one body in Christ with the good of each communicated to others. Shame on the Vatican for encouraging the divisive work of Opus Dei.
Daneen Warner
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.

It's puzzling that people join Opus Dei to live their faith on a daily basis. Anyone can do so without joining an esoteric group. One simply has to attend to the daily liturgy of the church, pray regularly, be sincere in trying to live a good life and become an active member of the local parish — no self-flagellation required. Perhaps that is too simple, similar to the injunctions in The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, which remind us that we treat Jesus as we treat one another.
(The Rev.) Tom Zelinski
Marathon, Wisconsin, U.S.

As a longtime member of Opus Dei who was interviewed for Time's report, I found the story to be an amusingly surreal experience — a bit like doing the full monty and then being accused of hiding something. The cover speaks of a "secret Catholic society," but while the article makes unblushing use of anonymous and pseudonymous critics, it is the folks in Opus Dei who showed their faces and gave their names. Opus Dei's headquarters in Rome are open to the public every day of the year, so next time you're in town, stop in.
Father John Wauck
Rome

I was very surprised and upset by your insistence on the secrecy of Opus Dei. The society has centers all over the world. I've been a numerary member of Opus Dei for more than 30 years and I have never been told to keep my membership secret. Members of Opus Dei, however, don't like our efforts to live a spirit of penance to be vaunted about. That should be a private matter between the soul and God.
Marciano Escutia
Madrid

The Brass-Hat Rebellion
Your story on the growing number of retired generals calling for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to resign [April 24] showed that our military's patriotism, diligence and other commendable character traits are of little value to the nation when our civilian leaders have poor judgment. Despite all his experience and expertise, Rumsfeld has shown poor judgment. And George W. Bush's failure to accept Rumsfeld's offers of resignation suggests that the President also has poor judgment.
Lawrence H. Gordon
Honolulu

How can we as american citizens have any respect for those retired generals who spent their careers at the public trough and now want to destroy the boss they sucked up to while in command? They need to spend their time playing golf and sipping martinis at the club and leave the important decisions to our elected leaders.
Joel Epperson
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.

Why didn't the generals come forth with their criticism earlier? Competent leadership in the military has been declining ever since our nation went to the all-volunteer force. We Americans have become so soft and liberal that we don't have the guts anymore to stand and be counted. The same is true in our civilian agencies as well.
Clair Mendenhall
Providence, Utah, U.S.

Comrade Hu Comes Calling
Re your story on Chinese president Hu Jintao's trip to the U.S. [April 24]: In visiting our democratic country, Hu represented not China's people but the Chinese Communist Party, which has been holding that nation's people hostage for more than a half-century. Under Mao Zedong, Chinese communists caused more than 70 million deaths. Today the Chinese are still not a free people. Many democracy advocates and religious workers are incarcerated in labor camps without due process of law. People are not allowed to organize political parties, and the communist Chinese government, for fear of being toppled, has strict control of the mass media. Thus the Chinese people are blindfolded.
Timothy Ho
Anaheim, California, U.S.

The Price Isn't Right
Re "Sweet 16 and spoiled rotten" [April 24]: I agree with columnist Ana Marie Cox that mtv's reality show My Super Sweet 16 verges on the nauseating. It is nearly unbearable to witness the whining of greedy teenage girls while their fathers cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single party and a luxury automobile. After watching an episode with my rapt teenage daughter, I couldn't help asking, Is it any wonder the rest of the world hates us?
Fern Galperin
Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.

To Deter or Disarm?
time's comprehensive analysis of the Iranian nuclear standoff was wonderfully well written and insightful [April 3]. Iranian leaders rely for the defense of their country on a simple perception: that an opponent doesn't dare make an aggressive move for fear of devastating consequences. Peaceful negotiations through sustained diplomacy seem to be the only viable way out of this threatening situation. Then again, isn't the unwelcome prospect of mutually assured destruction a universally acclaimed deterrent against the unbearable perils of terrorism's ultimate expression?
Pierre Galipeau
St.-Léonard, Canada

The idea that nuclear weapons are safe only in the hands of Americans and their European cousins and a danger to the rest of the world is not only patronizing but also racist. If the U.S. and its friends can be trusted with nuclear weapons, why not any other country? The only way to ensure universal nuclear disarmament is for all countries to renounce and destroy the nuclear weapons they have acquired. As long as some have them, others will try to acquire them. Iran is not only surrounded by countries that possess nuclear weapons but is also threatened with attack from the U.S. Should we expect Iran to behave like a sitting duck?
Erisa Mugabi
Kyotera, Uganda

Your report was informative but omitted one facet of the debate. Although Iran is indeed surrounded by nuclear powers, none have ever remotely considered using such weapons because of the possibility of retaliation. If Iran wants to spend the vast resources needed to create the Bomb rather than improve the lot of its people, so be it. But there its Bomb will sit, a true albatross, consuming national resources while it remains unused because of fear of justifiable retaliation.
Robert O. Hoskins
Florence, Italy

Amid hectic diplomatic efforts, U.S. officials hint more and more at possible strikes against Iran's nuclear assets. We are heading toward another unjustified war, but this one could be much more dangerous than the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. It is time for American citizens to decide whether they like to be viewed as a warring nation. The U.S. has become more hated since 9/11, despite the fact that it was the victim. Does that not prove that U.S. policies have been misguided? I hope that ordinary Americans will not remain silent but will realize that love, affection, peace and justice are good for them and cannot be achieved by the sword.
Zeeshan Ahmad
Lahore

Oil Pressure
In the interview with U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte [April 24], Time should have asked whether he realizes that another Pearl Harbor is around the corner. It will be not a military attack but a political and economic blow that will cripple the U.S. Tehran and Moscow share a common interest: to drastically reduce the political power of the U.S. in the Middle East. Once Iran has the Bomb, Tehran and Moscow will practically control the world oil supply and could blackmail the U.S. and Europe. In the past few months, Tehran has bluntly positioned itself as the pre-eminent country opposing the U.S., the first step before trying to boot the U.S. out of the region. Let's hope that Negroponte's eyes, ears and mind are wide open.
Aviv Hallel
Ramat Hasharon, Israel

Walling Off Hope
time reported on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's plans to complete a wall separating Israel from the Palestinians [April 17]. Olmert should consider the history of Ireland's dispute with Britain and the creation and segregation of Northern Ireland; the fence dividing the Greek and Turkish inhabitants of Cyprus; and the partition of India into two states. Did any of those solutions result in cessation of conflict? No, partition does not work. Conflict resolution should be the name of the game, not an ongoing cold or hot war. Of family discussions at his home, Olmert says he is proud to say there is no dominant voice, but is there a listening ear?
Patricia Daniel
Norwich, England

Happy Birthday, Your Majesty
Thank you for your coverage marking Queen Elizabeth's 80th birthday [April 17]. Her Majesty is a perfect example of the value of constitutional monarchy. Instead of a more or less anonymous President who is around for four years or so, Britain has the advantage of a family that can be the focus of nationalism. The Queen has fulfilled her role perfectly. She must be proud of what she has achieved, and that must have taken a lot of guts and hard work. She has been an inspiration to the nation and other peoples of the world. She beautifully embodies one of the West's greatest institutions.
Syed Ali Musa Zaidi
Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Queen Elizabeth's fame transcends her dominion. In Africa, when you say the word queen, the first thing that comes to mind is Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Curiously, although most of the world is under the rule of elected people, and progressive thinkers have questioned the relevance of monarchies in modern times, the vestiges of monarchical cravings are there for all to see in many a society. Otherwise, how could one explain society's fascination with the progeny and close relatives of powerful figures, from the Kennedys (and even the Bushes) of the U.S. and the Gandhis of India to the Kabilas of the Congo and the Kenyattas of Kenya? It is as if the desire to continue reverencing and being ruled by established bloodlines were encoded in our dna.
James Louis Ndirangu
Nanyuki, Kenya