Saints and Schemers

The Roman Catholic organization known as Opus Dei seems to attract either virulent criticism or extravagant praise.

It has been attacked as a "secret society," an "ecclesiastical mafia," and a cult that promotes bizarre ascetic practices, enslaves its members by mind-control techniques, and intimidates detractors through personal attacks and character assassination.

But it has many powerful allies, especially in the Vatican.

Indeed, Pope John Paul II is a staunch supporter of Opus ("The Work") and of its founder, the late Monsignor Escriva' de Balaguer, whose controversial beatification attracted 200,000 followers to St.

Peter's Square in 1992. Drawing on dozens of interviews with members and former members--including priests, educators, doctors, Jesuits, and insiders connected with the Vatican Curia--and mining Opus Dei's own literature for clues, Joan Estruch provides the first authoritative portrait of this elusive organization.

He begins with a fascinating look at the founder of Opus Dei, uncovering much information not found in the official biographies of Escriva'.

He examines, for instance, the question of Escriva''s many name changes, his initially negative reaction to Vatican II (a reaction Opus now denies), his fondness for aristocratic refinements and honors, and his petition to become a member of the nobility.

The founder of Opus Dei emerges as a complex, enigmatic figure, ambitious and impulsive, but also a man of extraordinary sincerity.

Estruch also sheds much light on the origin and evolution of this influential and controversial movement.

He reveals that, contrary to the official version, Opus Dei was not founded in 1928, but in 1939 and its birth wasclosely linked with the establishment of Franco's regime. And he also points out that the Jesuits--the arch-enemies of Opus Dei--were actually the model that initially inspired Escriva'.

If their relations have been marked by confrontation and conflict, Estruch contends, it is due to their similarities more than their differences. Saints and Schemers traces Opus Dei's remarkable evolution from a local diocesan movement in Madrid to an international movement with 75,000 highly disciplined members in positions of power and influence throughout the world.

First published in Spain in 1993, this volume offers the most reliable source of information on Opus, its history and ideology, and its current role in the Church.

It will fascinate anyone curious about this mysterious organization as well as those interested in the influence of the Catholic Church in contemporary affairs and the history of modern Spain.