Who Is Who in Opus Dei Worldwide

Who Is Who in Opus Dei

On a Worldwide Scale

INTRODUCTION

This is a list of prominent Opus Dei members. It is intended to include people whose membership in Opus Dei is documented in published sources, and therefore a matter of public record.

Opus Dei maintains lists of cooperators, who are not considered by Opus Dei to be members, and who do not even have to be Roman Catholics, but who agree to assist with the work of Opus Dei in any of various ways. Such cooperators are not included in this list.

This document should by no means be considered an exhaustive list of past and present members and sympathizers of Opus Dei involved in political, religious, cultural, academic or literary life.

To know about the types of members and persons related to Opus Dei, see the Appendix at the end of this document.

The primary source of information of this document is Wikipedia (details at the end of this document).

Government and Civil Service

Ruth Kelly
The Former British Transport Secretary, Labour Party (traditionally center-left) in the United Kingdom. John L. Allen, Jr. states that she is a supernumerary member in his book Opus Dei.
Paola Binetti
Senator in Italy. A numerary member. Binetti belonged to the christian-social party La Margherita ("The Daisy"), the Democratic Party and now the Union of the Centre.
Mario Maiolo
Vice-president of the province of Cosenza. He belonged to the Italian Peoples' Party, La Margherita and later the Democratic Party. He is a supernumerary.
Antonio Fontán (died 2010)
President of the Senate of Spain in 1977-1979. A journalist who advocated free elections and trade unions, and was persecuted by Franco. He helped draft Spain's new democratic constitution after Franco.
Alberto Ullastres Calvo (died 2001)
Minister of Trade (1957-1965). He is one of the members of Opus Dei who were appointed by Franco as ministers (Spain under Franco). He pushed forward the so-called Plan of Stabilization which brought about Spain's transition from economic autarchy to liberalization and internationalization of the national economy.
Mario Fernández Baeza
Interior Minister of Chile. Belongs to the left-leaning Christian Democratic Party.
Adolfo Suárez (died 2014)
President of Government in the democracy in Spain from 1978 to 1982, was a supernumerary member of Opus Dei.
Gregorio López Bravo (died 1985)
Minister for Industry (1963-1969, Spain under Franco), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1969-1973). A supernumerary
Vicente Mortes Alfonso (died 1991)
Minister for Housing (1969-1973, Spain under Franco). A supernumerary
Juan José Espinosa San Martín (died 1982)
Minister for Finance (1965-1969, Spain under Franco).
Faustino García-Moncó Fernández (died 1996)
Minister for Trade (1965-1969, Spain under Franco).
Fernando Herrero Tejedor (died 1975)
Secretary General of the Movimiento (Franco's political party) (1975).
José María Albareda (died 1966)
Secretary General and head of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas). He was close friend of Escrivá and one of the first numerary members of Opus Dei. He was also a close friend of José Ibáñez Martín, falangist and Minister for Education for Franco from 1939 to 1951, who is widely credited with sponsoring the great expansion of Opus Dei into Spanish third-level education during that period. Both take much of the credit for developing the political concept of "Nacional-Catolicismo".
Jesus Estanislao
Secretary of Economic Planning and subsequently Finance Secretary of the Philippines under Corazon Aquino (1989-1992), who toppled the dictatorial government of Ferdinand Marcos. A numerary member of Opus Dei, who started Opus Dei in the Philippines.
Joaquín Lavín
Politician in Chile, twice defeated in his bid for the presidency of Chile. He is a member of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) party and former mayor of Santiago and Las Condes municipalities of capital Santiago. He was also Minister of Education and Social Development (2010-2013)
Robert Hanssen
FBI agent who was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and Russia. His treason has been described as "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history." A supernumerary, he reportedly left Opus Dei after his arrest.
Rory O'Hanlon (died 2002)
Professor of Criminal and Constitutional Law at University College Dublin and High Court Judge in Ireland (1981-1995). He was dismissed by the Irish Government from Presidency of the Law Reform Commission in 1992, after commenting that if membership of the EU forced the introduction of abortion to Ireland, the country should withdraw from the Union. He later sued the Government and won substantial damages. He was a supernumerary member of Opus Dei.
Jorge Rossi Chavarría (died 2006)
Vice-President of Costa Rica from 1971-1974. He co-founded the National Liberation Party (PLN), a social democrat party. He was a supernumerary of Opus Dei.
Federico Trillo-Figueroa y Martínez-Conde
Spanish politician of the Partido Popular, ex-chairman of the Spanish Chamber of Representatives, former minister of Defence and current ambassador for Spain in the United Kingdom.
Jorge Fernández Díaz
Spanish politician of the Partido Popular, current minister of the Interior.
Patrick Ngugi Njoroge PhD
Kenyan economist, banker and the governor of the Central Bank of Kenya.

Note: The following entry was in the Wikipedia list in 2010 and is absent in 2017. We do not know why. Here we keep it as a matter of reference:

Squire Lance
A civil rights leader, called by the Spectator, "granddaddy of Civil Rights in Obama's own Chicago." He is a Democrat.

Writing and journalism

Joaquín Navarro Valls (1936-2017)
Born November 16, 1936, Cartagena, Spain. Physician and journalist who later served as the Director of the Vatican Press Office, taking the post in 1984. A numerary member.
Robert Duncan
Noted journalist. An ombudsman for foreign press in Spain; vice-president of OPCI Ibero-American press association; vice-president of APSCE, association for energy and telecommunications; past executive board member for Spain's oldest and largest foreign press body, the Club Internacional de Prensa; editor for Spero News and EnerPub.
Rafael Calvo Serer (1916-1988)
Editor and founder of Diario Madrid who was hounded into exile for his criticism of Franco, who closed the publication. Although Messori states that Calvo, by working underground, helped to bring democracy to Spain. According to some, he did not oppose Francoism, but Franco himself about Franco's succession (see Preston 623-3, 663 and 671).
Antonio Fontán (1923-2010)
Journalist who advocated free elections and trade unions in Spain under Franco. Later served as President of the Senate and helped draft Spain's new democratic constitution.
Francis Fernandez Carvajal
Wrote In Conversation with God, which has sold over two million copies in several languages, including Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovakian and Polish. It consists of over 450 meditations, one or more for every day of the year, as well as three meditations for each Sunday, corresponding to the three-year cycle in the Catholic lectionary. He is a graduate in history from the University of Navarra.
Pilar Urbano
Spanish journalist whose interviewing technique has become a model for other journalists. A numerary.
Cesare Cavalleri
Italian literary critic and publisher. He received the Premio internazionale Medaglia d'oro per la Cultura cattolica (International Golden Medal Award for Catholic Culture).
Alberto Michelini
Italian film director, journalist and politician. A supernumerary member.
Michael Adams (died 2009)
Irish publisher, was a numerary member and the Managing Director of Four Courts Press, Ireland's largest academic publishing house. Adams was the author of a book Censorship: The Irish Experience, which was critical of the operation of the former Irish system of literary censorship.
Paul Dumol
Filipino playwright, famous for Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio. He is also the Chairman of the Philippine Center for Civic Education and Democracy.

Academia

Ignacio Rodríguez-Iturbe
American scientist and is James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University. He received the 2002 Stockholm Water Prize for his role in developing the science of hydrology. He believes in global warming and evolutionary theory and rejects intelligent design.
Mariano Artigas
Received Templeton Foundation Award in 1995 for his work on science and religion. He wrote The Mind of the Universe: Understanding Science and Religion and fifteen other books on science and religion. He was ordained a priest on 1964, and incardinated to the Opus Dei prelature. He was the Dean of the Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy for the University of Navarra from 1988 to 1998.
John F. Coverdale
Law professor at Seton Hall University.
Scott Hahn
American theologian, former Presbyterian pastor and convert to Catholicism. He is best known for his conversion story Rome Sweet Home and theology books like The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth or First Comes Love: Finding Your Family in the Church and the Trinity. He recounts his membership in Opus Dei in his book Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace: My Spiritual Journey in Opus Dei. A supernumerary.
Bernardo Villegas
Founded the Center for Research and Communication, which became the University of Asia and the Pacific, in the Philippines. The spiritual and doctrinal formation given in this University is entrusted to Opus Dei.
José Orlandis (1918-2010)
Historian (and priest) who is known for his work ''Short History of the Catholic Church". He recounts his early years in Opus Dei in his book Años de Juventud en el Opus Dei.
Ives Gandra da Silva Martins, Jr.
Brazilian law scholar and professor in Brazilian universities, writer on law and history. Prof. Gandra published at least 40 books. In order to maintain his independence from government, he did not accept payment for his services to the government. He was even persecuted by the military government.
Jaime Nubiola
Spanish philosopher teaching at the Universidad de Navarra in Spain - university that openly declares itself as "a corporate work of the apostolate of Opus Dei" - specializing in philosophy of language, American philosophy, Charles Sanders Peirce and pragmatism. A numerary.
Martin Rhonheimer
Swiss philosopher teaching at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, specializing in ethics, the theory of liberalism and in the relationship between politics and religion. An Opus Dei priest.
Fernando Ocáriz Braña
Theologian and consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He was one of the primary authors of the document Dominus Iesus. He is presently the Prelate of Opus Dei.
Joseph de Torre
Social and political philosopher. He has written a number of works on social ethics and Catholic social teaching.
Enrique Colom
Was a contributing editor of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church made by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Card. Van Thuan International Observatory which promotes Catholic social teaching internationally.
Antonio Millán Puelles (1921-2005)
Philosopher influenced by Aristotle and phenomenology. He focused on freedom, subjectivity and conscience, the relationship between logic and metaphysics, and social issues.
Leonardo Polo (1926-2013)
Long-time professor of philosophy at University of Navarra - university founded in 1952 by Josemaría Escrivá - who developed a theory of the "mental limit".

Note: The following five people were in the Wikipedia list in 2010 and are absent in 2017. We do not know why. Here we keep them as a matter of reference:

Héctor Zagal
Mexican philosopher specialist in Aristotle, ethics and political philosophy.
Rafael Navarro Valls, brother of Joaquín Navarro Valls
Full professor of Spanish Ecclesiastical Law, at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Paolo Biavati
Is a university professor of civil procedure at the University of Bologna, Law School.
Lea Querzola
University lecturer of civil procedure at Bologna university, Law school.
Aquilino Polaino
Spanish psychologist researcher.

Social work and medicine

Toni Zweifel (1938-1989)
Swiss engineer who patented several inventions. He founded and served as director of the Limmat Foundation, a foundation that supports social projects all over the world with a majority of women as project beneficiaries. His process of beatification has been opened. A numerary.
Margaret Ogola
Medical director of the Cottolengo Hospice in Nairobi for HIV-positive orphans and Kenyan author. A supernumerary with four children, she heads the Commission for Health and Family Life for the Kenyan bishops' conference. Her novel The River and the Source, which follows four generations of Kenyan women in a rapidly changing country and society, won the Africa Region Commonwealth Award for Literature. Interested in women's empowerment, she is also Vice-President of Family Life Counselling (Kenya).
John Henry
"One of the world's leading authorities on drugs and poisons" and "Britain's best known toxicologist [who] made frequent appearances on television and radio."
Umberto Farri (died 2006)
Founder and President of Istituto per la Cooperazione Universitaria (Institute for University Co-operation) or ICU. It is a non-governmental organization which has completed over 200 development co-operation projects in 32 countries. He was one of the first three Italians to belong to Opus Dei (source).
Felipe González de Canales
Co-founder of a system of agriculture schools and rural development centers called Escuelas Familiares Agrarias (Agrarian Family Schools) which has 30 schools in Spain and has influenced 68 other agricultural schools in other parts of the world. He is also the founder of two trade unions. He is an associate member of Opus Dei.

Business

Isidre Fainé
President of CaixaBank, as of 2012 Spain's largest bank in assets.
Luis Valls
From 1972-2004, he was President of Banco Popular, the third biggest bank in Spain. A numerary.
Eduardo Guilisasti
Chief Executive Officer of Concha y Toro Winery. He told Bloomberg.com that he is a supernumerary member.
Jacques de Chateauvieux
President of Bourbon, a company engaged in international marine services. Neil Dean was Chief Financial Officer of Allied Irish Banks, the largest Bank in Ireland, until 1997 and is a supernumerary member.
Neil Dean
Was Chief Financial Officer of Allied Irish Banks, the largest Bank in Ireland, until 1997 and is a supernumerary member.
José María Ruiz Mateos
A prominent Spanish businessman involved in the infamous RUMASA scandal, was a supernumerary member of Opus Dei from 1963 until his expulsion in 1986.
Maurice O'Grady
Was Chief Executive of the Irish Management Institute, and is a supernumerary.

Sports, fashion, and entertainment

Isaac Viciosa
Spanish middle distance runner who is the European record holder at 3000 m. He said in an interview that he is a supernumerary of Opus Dei.
Antonio Bienvenida (1922-1975)
Famous Spanish bullfighter (1922–1975). According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The great Antonio Bienvenida... was killed by a small heifer on his ranch in 1975." A supernumerary.
Giovanni Trapattoni
Ex-manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team. and current manager of the Vatican City Football Team. One of the most celebrated managers in football history, Trapattoni is one of only two coaches, alongside the Austrian Ernst Happel, to have won the league title in four different countries (Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Austria).

APPENDIX

Types of membership of Opus Dei (source)

Supernumeraries: Currently account for about 70% of the total membership. Typically, the supernumeraries of the Opus Dei prelature are married men and women who have secular careers and lead traditional family lives. They typically contribute financially to Opus Dei, and they lend other types of assistance as their circumstances permit.

Numeraries: They comprise about 20% of total membership. Numeraries are celibate members who usually live in special centers run by Opus Dei. Numeraries are required to be celibate. Numeraries generally have normal careers and devote the bulk of their income to the organization.

Priests: They comprise about 2% of the membership. They have typically lived as lay members for several years before their ordination. At their ordination, they are incardinated into the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei.

The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross is an integral part of Opus Dei, not a separate entity simply associated with Opus Dei. Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature and other members in the society are traditional diocesan priests.

Numerary assistants: They are unmarried, female members of Opus Dei. They live in special centers run by Opus Dei. Their professional life is dedicated to looking after the domestic needs of the centers. Numerary assistants are required to be celibate.

Associates: They are celibate members who typically have family or professional obligations. The associates do not live inside the special Opus Dei centers but they "surrender their full life to the Lord in apostolic celibacy in keeping with the spirit of Opus Dei".

Cooperators: They are those who, though not considered members by Opus Dei, collaborate in some way with Opus Dei - usually through praying, charitable contributions, or by providing some other assistance. Cooperators are not even required to be Christian.

SOURCES

The main source of this document is Wikipedia. In particular:

(A) The list of names and the text of each entry (except notes in monospaced font) come from the List of members of Opus Dei. Consulted in July 2017, unless otherwise indicated.

(B) The annotations in monospaced font, added to complement the source (A), come from other particular pages of the Wikipedia, such as the individual profile corresponding to each person. Consulted in July 2017, in several languages (mainly English and Spanish), unless otherwise indicated.

(C) The reader is warned that the destination address of the links are not always that of the original sources (A) and (B). However, most (but not all) links are still pointing to some Wikipedia page.

The M+G+R Foundation is not affiliated nor linked in any way to Opus Dei nor its related organizations. Once again, please remember the Disclaimer about the information on this web site.