Editing Opus Dei (section)

== Controversy ==
{{Main|Controversies about Opus Dei}}

Throughout its history, Opus Dei has been criticized from many quarters, prompting journalists to describe Opus Dei as "the most controversial force in the Catholic Church" and founder Josemaría Escrivá as a "polarizing" figure.<ref name="Allen 2005" /><ref name="Gledhill 2005" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Feb2006/books.asp |work=American Catholic |author=Brennan Hill |title=Who Stood For and Against Hitler? |access-date=27 November 2006}}</ref> Criticism of Opus Dei has centered on allegations of secretiveness,<ref name="Van Biema 2006" /> controversial and aggressive [[apostolate|recruiting methods]], strict rules governing members, elitism and [[misogyny]],<ref>"Needless to say, Opus Dei sees women as mothers or housewives, and at university boys were given preferential treatment – in my year, a group of male students went on a trip to meet newspaper editors in the US; women were barred, on the pretext that it was organised by one of the Opus Dei male-only clubs."{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/30/opus-dei |title=The truth about Opus Dei |work=The Guardian |first=Elena |last=Moya |date=30 May 2010}}</ref> and support of or participation in authoritarian or right-wing governments, including [[Spain under Franco|Francisco Franco's regime]], which governed Spain until 1975.<ref name="Moncada 2006" /> The [[mortification of the flesh]] practiced by some of its members is also criticized. Opus Dei has also been criticized for allegedly seeking independence and more influence within the Catholic Church;<ref name="Walsh 2004">{{Cite book |author=Michael Walsh |title=Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Powerful Secretive Society within the Catholic Church. |year=2004 |publisher=Harper San Francisco |isbn=0-06-075068-5}}</ref> however, according to some journalists who have researched Opus Dei separately, many criticisms against Opus Dei are based on fabrications by opponents.<ref name="Allen 2005" /><ref name="Whitehouse 2006">{{Cite book |title=Opus Dei: The Truth Behind the Myth |first=Maggy |last=Whitehouse |publisher=Hermes House |year=2006 |isbn=0-681-35584-0}}</ref><ref name="Gledhill 2005">{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/a-wholesome-reality-shines-beyond-the-dark-conspiracy-ks9tbr6l30l |title=A wholesome reality shines beyond the dark conspiracy |first=Ruth |last=Gledhill |access-date=17 October 2024 |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=8 October 2005}}</ref><ref name="Messori 1997" /><ref name="de Plunkett 2007">{{cite web |first=Patrice |last=de Plunkett |title=Entretien avec l'auteur de L'Opus Dei – Enquête sur le 'monstre' |url=http://www.zenit.org/article-12784?l=french |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210339/http://www.zenit.org/article-12784?l=french |archive-date=30 September 2007 |access-date=20 June 2007 |agency=[[Zenit News Agency]] |language=fr}}</ref>

In the 21st century, Opus Dei has received international attention due to the novel ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' and its [[The Da Vinci Code (film)|film version of 2006]], both of which prominent Christians and others criticized as misleading, [[Inaccuracies in The Da Vinci Code#Opus Dei|inaccurate]] and [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code |first1=Carl |last1=Olson |first2=Sandra |last2=Miesel |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Ignatius Press |isbn=978-1-58617-034-9 |date=January 2004}}</ref><ref name="Miller 2004">{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Laura |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E0DD103AF931A15751C0A9629C8B63 |title=THE LAST WORD; The Da Vinci Con |newspaper=The New York Times |date=22 February 2004 |access-date=3 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=First Things |title=Dechristianizing America |first=Richard John |last=Neuhaus |date=June 2006 |url=http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=5314&var_recherche=Da+Vinci+Code}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response to the Bestselling Novel |first=Richard |last=Abanes |publisher=Harvest House |isbn=0-7369-1439-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/truthbehinddav00aban |year=2004}}</ref> Critics such as the Jesuit [[Wlodimir Ledóchowski]] refer to Opus Dei as a Catholic, Christian, or White form of [[Freemasonry]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/t/tapia-threshold.html |title=Beyond the Threshold |work=The New York Times |access-date=30 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The triumph of democracy in Spain |last=Preston |first=Paul |date=1986 |publisher=Methuen |isbn=978-0-416-90010-1 |location=London |pages=28 |oclc=14586560}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Secret societies |last=Harding |first=Nick |date=2005 |publisher=Chartwell |isbn=978-0-7858-2170-0 |location=Edison, New Jersey |pages=107 |oclc=78244509}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hesse |first=Alexander |title=Geheimbünde Freimaurer und Illuminaten, Opus Dei und Schwarze Hand |publisher=Rowohlt Taschenbuch |location=Reinbek |page=54 |isbn=978-3-499-63049-1 |date=2015 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Augias |first=Corrado |author-link=Corrado Augias |title=Die Geheimnisse des Vatikan: Eine andere Geschichte der Papststadt |edition=1st new |publisher=C. H. Beck |location=Munich |page=415 |isbn=978-3-406-63092-7 |date=2012 |language=de}}</ref> Critics of Opus Dei include María del Carmen Tapia, an ex-member who was a high-ranking officer of Opus Dei for many years;<ref>{{Cite book |first=María |last=del Carmen Tapia |title=Beyond the Threshold: A Life in Opus Dei |publisher=Continuum |year=1997 |isbn=0-8264-1096-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/beyondthresholdl00tapi}}</ref> [[Liberal Catholicism|liberal Catholic]] theologians such as [[James Martin (Jesuit writer)|James Martin]], a [[Jesuit]] writer and editor; and supporters of [[liberation theology]], such as journalist [[Penny Lernoux]] and Michael Walsh, a writer on religious matters and former Jesuit.<ref name="Grossman 2003" /><ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=Financial Times |location=London |first=Leslie |last=Crawford |title=Opus Dei's influence promotes a sainthood |date=6 October 2002}}</ref> Critics state that Opus Dei is "intensely secretive." However, members make their affiliations public and, in fact, host activities for all ages.<ref name="Van Biema 2006" /> This practice has led to much speculation about who may be a member.<ref name="Van Biema 2006" /> Due in part to its secrecy, the Jesuit-run magazine ''[[America (magazine)|America]]'' referred to it as "the most controversial group in the Catholic Church today".<ref name="Martin 1995">{{cite magazine |last=Martin |first=James |date=25 February 1995 |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2012/12/13/opus-dei-united-states-february-25-1995 |title=Opus Dei in the United States |magazine=[[America Magazine]] |access-date=22 December 2017}}</ref>

Opus Dei has been accused of deceptive and aggressive recruitment practices,<ref name="Martin 1995" /> such as showering potential members with intense praise ("[[love bombing]]"),<ref name="Karloff 2006">{{cite web |url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/14640/opus-dei-members-da-vinci-distorted |work=Daily Record |title=Opus Dei members: 'Da Vinci' distorted |first=Abbott |last=Karloff |date=14 May 2006 |access-date=27 November 2006 |via=Religion News Blog}}</ref>{{unreliable source|reason=Blog. The original Daily Record article is reliable so why not cite that instead?|date=December 2023}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=347479 |title=Opening the doors of Opus Dei: Part 2 |first=Elizabeth W. |last=Green |work=The Harvard Crimson |date=10 April 2003 |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=16 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016203206/http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=347479 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and instructing numeraries to form friendships and attend social gatherings explicitly for recruiting purposes.<ref name="Martin 2009" /> Critics allege that Opus Dei maintains an extremely high degree of control over its members—for instance, past rules required numeraries to submit their incoming and outgoing mail to their superiors for inspection, and members are forbidden to read certain books without permission from their superiors.<ref name="Karloff 2006" /> Critics charge that Opus Dei pressures numeraries to sever contact with non-members, including their own families.<ref name="Karloff 2006" /> Exit counselor David Clark has described Opus Dei as "very cult-like".<ref name="Karloff 2006" /> Opus Dei was investigated as a [[cult]] by the [[Belgium|Belgian]] government after an investigation, and some aspects were found to be cult-like.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Het Belgische sektenrapport |url=https://skepsis.nl/sektenrapport/ |access-date=28 August 2024 |website=Stichting Skepsis |language=nl-NL}}</ref> The organisation has parallels with,{{Which|date=September 2024}} but also very strong differences to, [[Scientology]].<ref name="Billing 2000" />

Critics assert that Escrivá and the organization supported radical right-wing governments, such as those of Franco, [[Augusto Pinochet]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1999/02/21/internacional/919551606_850215.html |title=La mediación del Vaticano en favor de Pinochet se gestó en la sede del Opus dei en Roma |language=es |newspaper=El País |date=20 February 1999 |access-date=31 December 2018 |last1=Ekaizer |first1=Ernesto}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elclarin.cl/web/opinion/politica/18350-el-opus-dei-y-su-opcion-preferencial-por-los-ricos-al-servicio-de-la-economia-neoliberal-en-chile.html |title=El Opus Dei y su 'opción preferencial por los ricos' al servicio de la economía neoliberal en Chile |trans-title=Opus Dei and its 'preferential option for the rich' at the service of the neoliberal economy in Chile |date=2 March 2016 |first=Fabián Bustamante |last=Olguín |newspaper=El Clarín |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508001256/http://www.elclarin.cl:80/web/opinion/politica/18350-el-opus-dei-y-su-opcion-preferencial-por-los-ricos-al-servicio-de-la-economia-neoliberal-en-chile.html |archive-date=8 May 2016 |access-date=31 December 2018}}</ref> and [[Alberto Fujimori]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://elpais.com/diario/2000/08/28/opinion/967413606_850215.html |title=El arzobispo Cipriani, 'teólogo de Fujimori' |language=es |newspaper=El País |date=27 August 2000 |access-date=31 December 2018 |last1=Tamayo |first1=Juan José}}</ref> of Peru during the 1990s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Allen |first=John Jr. |title=Opus Dei, The Truth about its Rituals, Secrets and Power |year=2005 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=0-14-102465-8 |pages=287–290}}</ref> Both Pinochet's and Fujimori's ministries and prominent supporters allegedly included members of Opus Dei, but there are also prominent Opus Dei members in parties that opposed those governments. Likewise, among Opus Dei members, there were also strong detractors of Franco, such as [[Antonio Fontán]]. There have also been allegations that Escrivá expressed sympathy for [[Adolf Hitler]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/1992/04/14/sain.php |work=International Herald Tribune |first=Barry |last=James |title=Rocky Road to Sainthood for a 'Choleric' Cleric |date=14 April 1992 |access-date=28 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410185512/http://www.iht.com/articles/1992/04/14/sain.php |archive-date=10 April 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Chicago Tribune |title=Catholics scrutinize enigmatic, strict Opus Dei |first=Ron |last=Grossman |date=6 December 2003}}</ref> One former Opus Dei priest, Vladimir Felzmann, who has become a vocal Opus Dei critic, says that Escrivá once remarked that Hitler had been "badly treated" by the world and he further declared that "Hitler couldn't have been such a bad person. He couldn't have killed six million [Jews]. It couldn't have been more than four million."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/01/18/bbdavi16.xml&sSheet=/arts/2005/01/18/ixartleft.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025070253/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/01/18/bbdavi16.xml&sSheet=/arts/2005/01/18/ixartleft.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 October 2005 |first=Damian |last=Thompson |date=18 January 2005 |work=The Daily Telegraph |title=A creepy scrape with the Da Vinci Code set |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Newsweek |author-link=Kenneth L. Woodward |first=Kenneth L. |last=Woodward |date=13 January 1992 |title=Opus Dei Prepares to Stand By Its Man}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei |first=Robert |last=Hutchinson |publisher=Thomas Dunne |year=1999 |isbn=0-312-19344-0 |page=15}}</ref> Opus Dei has also been accused of [[elitism]] through targeting of "the intellectual elite, the well-to-do, and the socially prominent".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/reviews/beyondthethreshold.htm |first=Paul |last=Baumann |date=10 August 1997 |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=The Way of the Faithful}}</ref>

As members of Opus Dei are Catholics, Opus Dei has been subjected to the same criticisms targeted to Catholicism in general. For example, Opus Dei's position has been "to oppose sexual freedoms and promote conservative morals," according to an investigative report produced by [[Catholics for Choice]], a group that dissents from many church teachings, notably abortion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/oppositionwatch/documents/OpusDeiinLatinAmerica.pdf |title=A Primer on Opus Dei in Latin America |publisher=Catholics for Choice |year=2011 |access-date=23 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531231642/http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/oppositionwatch/documents/OpusDeiinLatinAmerica.pdf |archive-date=31 May 2013}}</ref> The report further cites a study from sociologist Marco Burgos alleging Opus Dei interference in sex education programs in Honduras that contradict the Catholic faith.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/652527.html |title=Culpan a Opus Dei por golpe en Honduras |language=es |date=18 January 2010 |work=El Universal |access-date=23 October 2012 |archive-date=12 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412133712/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/652527.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Between 1950 and 1980, as many as 300,000 illegal adoptions occurred in Spain in a scandal known as the [[lost children of Francoism]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Adler |first=Katya |date=18 October 2011 |title=Spain's stolen babies and the families who lived a lie |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15335899}}</ref> Many Catholic clergy and religious sisters at church-sponsored hospitals or other charitable organizations in Spain are alleged to have been involved, including members of Opus Dei.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 March 2011 |title=On the trail of Spain's stolen children |url=https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2011/03/07/inenglish/1299478844_850210.html |access-date=16 June 2021 |website=El País |language=en}}</ref> The Opus Dei organisation has been described as a "Holy Mafia" or "Santa Mafia" in the 1970s due to alleged "inscrutable business practices".<ref name="Pilapil 1971" /><ref>{{Cite news |first=Peter |last=Hertel |title=Vatikan intern: Der Aufstieg der Santa Mafia |url=https://www.spiegel.de/spiegelspecial/a-350114.html |access-date=16 June 2021 |newspaper=Der Spiegel |date=7 April 2005 |language=de}}</ref> After conducting a critical study of Opus Dei, Catholic journalist John L. Allen Jr. concluded that Opus Dei should (1) be more transparent, (2) collaborate with members of [[religious institute]]s, and (3) encourage its members to air out in public their criticisms of the institution.<ref name="Allen 2005" /> An article published by the ''[[Financial Times]]'' in March 2024 accused Opus Dei of practices akin to modern slavery.<ref name="FT 2024">{{Cite web |date=16 March 2024 |title=The Opus Dei diaries |url=https://www.ft.com/content/53bbc8a8-1c5b-4c6e-8d50-8b7c00ffa5f8 |access-date=17 March 2024 |website=Financial Times |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The piece draws on testimony from 16 women who served as numerary assistants over several decades in several countries. They report having been "coerced into domestic servitude&nbsp;... through a rigid system of psychological control".<ref name="FT 2024" />

=== Supporting views ===
According to several journalists who have worked independently on Opus Dei, such as [[John L. Allen Jr.]],<ref name="Allen 2005" /> [[Vittorio Messori]],<ref name="Messori 1997" /> [[Patrice de Plunkett]],<ref name="de Plunkett 2007" /> [[Maggy Whitehouse]],<ref name="Whitehouse 2006" /> and [[List of children of clergy|Noam Friedlander]],<ref name="Gledhill 2005" /> many of the criticisms against Opus Dei are myths and unproven tales. Allen, Messori, and Plunkett say that most of these myths were created by its opponents, with Allen adding that he perceives that Opus Dei members generally practice what they preach.<ref>{{cite web |title=Unveiling Opus Dei: Interview with John L. Allen |url=http://oldarchive.godspy.com/reviews/Opus-Dei-An-Interview-with-John-Allen-by-John-Romanowsky.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713161854/http://oldarchive.godspy.com/reviews/Opus-Dei-An-Interview-with-John-Allen-by-John-Romanowsky.cfm |archive-date=13 July 2012 |access-date=23 February 2008 |work=Gospy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Interview with John Allen |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week937/interview1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103061635/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week937/interview1.html |archive-date=3 January 2007 |access-date=27 November 2006 |work=PBS:Religion&Ethics}}</ref>

[[File:Opusdeicentralhqrome.jpg|thumb|right|Opus Dei central headquarters in Rome]]
Allen, Messori, and Plunkett also state that accusations that Opus Dei is secretive are unfounded. These accusations stem from a [[clericalism|clerical paradigm]] which expects Opus Dei members to behave as monks and clerics, traditionally known and externally identifiable as seekers of holiness. In contrast, these journalists continue, Opus Dei's lay members, like any normal Catholic professional, are ultimately responsible for their personal actions and do not externally represent the organization that provides them religious education.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} Writer and broadcast analyst [[John L. Allen Jr.]] states that Opus Dei provides abundant information about itself. These journalists have noted that the historic roots of criticisms against Opus Dei can be found in influential clerical circles.<ref name="Messori 1997" /><ref>{{cite web |first=Edward |last=Pentin |title=Profiles: John Allen |url=http://www.theamericanmag.com/article.php?show_issue_id=24&show_article_id=320 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016203316/http://theamericanmag.com/article.php?show_issue_id=24&show_article_id=320 |archive-date=16 October 2007 |access-date=27 November 2006 |work=The American}}</ref>

As to its alleged participation in right-wing politics, especially the Francoist regime, British historians [[Paul Preston]] and [[Brian Crozier]] state that the Opus Dei members who were Franco's ministers were appointed for their talent and not for their Opus Dei membership.<ref name="Preston 1993">{{Cite book |first=Paul |last=Preston |title=Franco. A Biography |publisher=HarperCollins |year=1993 |isbn=0-00-215863-9}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2020}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Crozier |first=Brian |title=Franco: A Biographical History |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |year=1967}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |quote=[The technocrats] were appointed to high office not because of what they were [i.e. Opus Dei members] but because of what they wanted to do. |first=Jose |last=Casanova |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/publications/the-opus-dei-ethic-the-technocrats-and-the-modernization-of-spain |title=The Opus Dei Ethic, the Technocrats and the Modernization of Spain |date=1 February 1983 |journal=Social Science Information |volume=22 |issue=1 |page=46|doi=10.1177/053901883022001002 }}</ref> Also, there were notable members of Opus Dei who were vocal critics of the Franco regime such as [[Rafael Calvo Serer]] and [[Antonio Fontán]], who was the first [[President of the Spanish Senate|president]] of the [[Senate of Spain|Senate]] in Spain, following the adoption of a democratic [[Constitution of Spain|constitution]]. The German historian and Opus Dei member [[Peter Berglar]] calls any connection made between Opus Dei and Franco's regime a "gross slander".<ref name="Berglar 1994" /> At the end of Franco's regime, Opus Dei members were 50:50 for and against Franco, according to John Allen.<ref name="Allen 2005" />{{page needed|date=September 2020}} Similarly [[Álvaro del Portillo]], the former prelate of Opus Dei, said that any statements that Escrivá supported Hitler were "a patent falsehood" that were part of "a slanderous campaign".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=del Portillo |first1=Álvaro |title=Immersed in God: Blessed Josemaria Escrivá, Founder of Opus Dei As Seen by His Successor, Bishop Álvaro del Portillo |first2=Cesare |last2=Cavalleri |publisher=Scepter |year=1996 |isbn=0-933932-85-5}}</ref> He and others have stated that Escrivá condemned Hitler as a "rogue", a "racist" and a "tyrant".<ref>See {{cite web |last=Urbano |first=Pilar |author-link=Pilar Urbano |year=1995 |title=El hombre de Villa Tevere |url=http://www.pontealdia.net/criticas/nazismo.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210145836/http://www.pontealdia.net/criticas/nazismo.htm |archive-date=10 December 2006 |access-date=28 January 2007}}</ref> Opus Dei spokespersons also deny claims that Opus Dei members worked with General Pinochet.<ref name="Gledhill 2005" /> Various authors and researchers state that Escrivá was staunchly non-political, and detested dictatorships.<ref name="Messori 1997" /><ref>{{cite book |first=Julian |last=Herranz |title=En las afueras de Jericó: recuerdos de los años con san Josemaría y Juan Pablo II |publisher=Rialp |year=2008}}</ref> Allen wrote that, compared with other Catholic organizations, Opus Dei's stress on freedom and personal responsibility is extraordinarily strong.<ref name="Allen 2005" /> There are many Opus Dei members who are identified with center or left-wing politics, including [[Ruth Kelly]], [[Jorge Rossi Chavarría]], [[Mario Fernández Baeza]], [[Mario Maiolo]], and [[Jesus Estanislao]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Swan |first=Michael |date=15 September 2008 |title=Opus Dei welcomes left-wingers, too |url=https://www.catholicregister.org/item/8201-opus-dei-welcomes-left-wingers-too |access-date=19 June 2022 |work=Catholic Register}}</ref>

While Opus Dei spokespersons have admitted mistakes in dealing with some members and do not, as a rule, contest their grievances,<ref name="Newsday 2006" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Silver |first1=Vernon |last2=Smith |first2=Michael |name-list-style=amp |title=The Business of Opus Dei |url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/weekend_news_detail.asp?pp_cat=31&art_id=17588&sid=7680826&con_type=3&d_str=20060429 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215151146/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/weekend_news_detail.asp?pp_cat=31&art_id=17588&sid=7680826&con_type=3&d_str=20060429 |archive-date=15 February 2009 |access-date=2 December 2007 |work=The Standard |location=Hong Kong |publisher=Bloomberg L.P.}}</ref> supporters have rejected generalizations merely based on negative experiences of some members.<ref>{{cite web |last=Schonborn |first=Christoph |title=Are there sects in the Catholic Church? |url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/CHRIST/ORSECTS.HTM |access-date=27 November 2006 |work=Eternal Word Television Network}}, Matthew 10:37</ref> John Allen concluded that Opus Dei is not "elitist" in the sense in which people often invoke the term, meaning an exclusively white-collar phenomenon. He observed that among its members are barbers, bricklayers, mechanics, and fruit sellers. Most supernumeraries are living ordinary middle-class lives, he said.<ref name="Allen 2005" />{{page needed|date=September 2020}} Regarding alleged [[misogyny]], John Allen states that women hold half of the leadership positions in Opus Dei, and they supervise men.<ref>{{cite news |last=Baird |first=Julia |date=18 May 2006 |title=Tall tale ignites an overdue debate |url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/tall-tale-ignites-an-overdue-debate/2006/05/17/1147545387121.html?page=2 |access-date=4 April 2007 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> As regards the claim that religious people in Spain, including Opus Dei members, were involved in the [[Lost children of Francoism|abduction of children during the Franco era]], an investigation found that DNA analysis of 81 cases ruled out that they were stolen babies.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ansede |first1=Manuel |date=20 October 2018 |title=El análisis del ADN de 81 casos descarta que fueran bebés robados |url=https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/09/27/ciencia/1538058145_715458.html |newspaper=El País |language=es}}</ref> The supreme court of Spain did not consider the first case of stolen babies to be proven,<ref>{{cite web |title=El Supremo no considera probado el primer caso que analiza de bebés robados |first=Reyes |last=Rincón |date=11 June 2020 |url=https://elpais.com/sociedad/2020-06-11/el-supremo-no-considera-probada-la-detencion-ilegal-en-el-primer-caso-juzgado-de-un-bebe-robado.html |language=es}}</ref> and the chief prosecutor of the Basque Country said that "not even reasonable evidence" of any abduction of babies had been found, after special investigations of the police.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chávarri |first1=Inés P. |date=2 December 2012 |title=La burbuja de los bebés robados |url=https://elpais.com/ccaa/2012/12/02/paisvasco/1354473800_513589.html |newspaper=El País |language=es}}</ref>

=== Other views ===
Sociologists [[Peter L. Berger|Peter Berger]] and [[Samuel P. Huntington|Samuel Huntington]] suggest that Opus Dei is involved in "a deliberate attempt to construct an alternative modernity", one that engages modern culture while at the same time is resolutely loyal to Catholic traditions.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Many Globalizations: Cultural Diversity in the Contemporary World |first1=Peter |last1=Berger |first2=Samuel |last2=Huntington |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2002 |isbn=84-493-1322-8}}</ref> Van Biema of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine emphasises Opus Dei's Spanish roots as a source of misunderstandings in the [[Anglo-Saxon]] world, and suggests that as the United States becomes more Hispanic, controversies about Opus Dei (and similar Catholic organizations) will decrease.<ref name="Van Biema 2006" />

In her 2006 book on Opus Dei, [[Maggy Whitehouse]], a non-Catholic journalist, argues that the relative autonomy of each director and center has resulted in mistakes at the local level. She recommends greater consistency and transparency for Opus Dei, which she sees as having learned the lesson of greater openness when it faced the issues raised by ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' and other critics.<ref name="Whitehouse 2006" />

One of the documents of the [[Second Vatican Council]] known as the [[Gaudium et spes|Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World]] provides some good context.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html |title=Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern Word-Gaudium et Spes |publisher=Holy See}}</ref> This majority vote document elaborates upon the relationship of the Church to the world at large. [[Catholic Social Teaching]] and Christian Secularity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/topic-17-the-church-and-the-world/#:~:text=The%20Church%2C%20as%20a%20human%20and%20social%20community%2C,existence%2C%20which%20Jesus%20calls%20the%20%E2%80%9CKingdom%20of%20God.%E2%80%9D |title=Topic 17: The Church and the World |publisher=Opus Dei |access-date=3 May 2025}}</ref> elaborate further. In 2005, John Allen published his text about Opus Dei.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.penguin.com.au/books/opus-dei-9780141926117 |title=Opus Dei |first=John L. |last=Allen |date=4 May 2006 |isbn=978-0-14-192611-7 |publisher=Penguin}}</ref> In 2012, Eric Sammons published a short work, "Holiness for Everyone", about the practical spirituality of St Josemaria Escriva.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://ericsammons.com/product/holiness-for-everyone-2/ |title=Holiness for Everyone |first=Eric |last=Sammons |date=22 November 2022 |isbn=978-1-64413-772-7 |publisher=[[Sophia Institute Press]]}}</ref>