INTRODUCTION

This Section presents a special report published by the Portuguese weekly magazine VISÄO (originally published by the French Le Nouvel Observateur) on The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei and its activities in the Vatican and the world. Some details may not be accurate but the overall conceptual vision appears to be on target.

The Letters to the Editor of VISÄO defending the Opus Dei, as a result of said special report, were many. Opus Dei true colors are reflected by the fierce defense on behalf of self; not of God, not of the Church, but of Opus Dei!

After the letter written by miguel de Portugal (1) commenting on the fierce response to the Editor was published, no more letters nor articles on the subject matter were noted.

It may be a double coincidence that shortly thereafter the offices of VISÄO were destroyed by a mysterious fire and that, after the fire, said magazine did not openly attack the subject Prelature anymore, even though sufficient intellectual ammunition was provided. In the following pages some key items of said report (2) were translated into English.




Block A

Bankers and other business men control, in the Name of God, vital sectors of the western economy. John Paul II has surrounded himself with them and transformed them in his praetorian guard.

Block B

"The Father" Josemaría Escriva de Balaguer, gave the example by being Beatified in 1992 by John Paul II. He passed on his recipe to the laity by means of his work "Camino" ("The Way"), published in 1934. It sold four million copies in 35 languages. This "bible" is the 'bed side' book of all members of Opus Dei.

Block C

Leafing through the book it becomes evident that "The Father" is not a leftist man. Exhorts the troops to abandon the flock. He is an elitist. He can only see the children of Jesus Christ in administrative councils and the genetic engineering laboratories. Let the poor ones be happy with Mother Teresa de Calcutta.

Block D

Josemaría Escriva had a revelation at the end of the twenties: God asked him to save the Church, if possible before the end of the century, and He breathed in him the technique.

Block E

Discreet apostles, almost invisible, whose job is to achieve the highest possible level in the power centers (of the world), whether political, financial or cultural.

Block F

In 1994, Opus Dei no longer reeks of sulfur. The "Holy Mafia", or "White Masonry" has become respectable.

Block G

Escrivá conceived Opus Dei as an organization to fight Marxism. The fundamental principle: Secrecy.

Block H

Opus Dei members enlisted themselves as volunteers of the Blue Division, the famous Spanish group which joined forces with the German to fight the Soviet Union during Second World War. His anti-Communism blinded him. He use to say to me [Rev. Vladimir Felzman speaking] that it was an exaggeration that Hitler had killed six million Jews.

Block I

In 1969 Opus Dei was at its zenith in Spain. Of the 19 members of Carrero Blanco's government, 12 were part of Opus Dei.

Block J

The final approval from the Vatican dates from June 1950.

Block K

...Salazar did not look kindly upon the organization which was placed under the vigilant eye of the PIDE. According to the journalist Candido de Azevedo, the RTP [Portuguese Radio-Television] revealed several months ago that Salazar attentively read the PIDE reports about Opus, which attests to the political interest which was always characteristic of Opus Dei.

Block L

Going back to the beginning of the eighties, Karol Wojtyla assumes the helm at the Vatican. He chooses his trusted men; many polish but also a large number of members of Opus Dei. Beginning with Joaquín Navarro-Valls, who would become his spokesman. Navarro is a physician, journalist and an ex-Matador. Just as his colleagues he had to take vows of obedience, poverty and chastity.

Block M

Actually he is the only person authorized to speak in the name of John Paul II.

Block N

The truth is that, in all the world, there are only 12 effective members of the organization and six of them are Peruvians.

Block O

He [Sandro Magister] immediately adds that this parallel church, this sect, this sort of Masonic Lodge has "no great ideas or strategies beyond the mythology of power for the sake of power".

Block P

Rumasa controlled close to 400 companies which owned banks, hotels, large stores, factories and farmland with a total of 53,000 employees. However, they used the system of double invoicing. With what unmentionable end? The typical answer: rerouting funds and tax evasion.

Block Q

[Mateos] He did not know that the police already had in their possession explosive documents which proved, without a doubt, that the Rumasa funds which were being rerouted were being used to finance the activities of Opus Dei

Block R

Ruiz Mateos is not a genial self-made man. He is just an Opus' soldier whose irresistible ascension was orchestrated by the financial web of Opus Dei.

A Commentary on Ruiz Mateos. Why him? Like in many similar cases, they target egocentric and weak minded individuals who, after appropriate indoctrination, will perform their duties well.