Unlike members of religious orders, the members of Opus Dei join by means of private contracts and not vows. Those Catholics who belong to Opus Dei also continue to be part of the congregation at their local church. A personal prelature operates in a very similar way to a religious order however, there are no geographical limits, and its members are lay-people rather than monks or nuns. Personal prelature is a canonical term meaning that the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church over Opus Dei covers the members of Opus Dei rather than a geographical area like a diocese. However Opus Dei's members argue that this unique position does not in any way mean that its members are held in a specifically high regard by the Vatican, or given any special treatment. Admittedly this is a unique position to be in - it is the only personal prelature within the Catholic Church. The fact that Opus Dei was designated a personal prelature in 1982 by Pope John Paul II has meant that some critics have referred to its position as being similar to that of a "church within the Church".
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Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions Structure In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. A discussion of corporal mortificationĬontributors from Opus Dei and a Greek Orthodox church discuss self-denial, fasting and corporal mortification with a Muslim chaplain. They account for around 70-75% of members and they are usually non-celibate, married men or women. The majority of Opus Dei members are supernumeraries. Matthew 16:24), and that they can also be a way to suffer in solidarity with the many poor and deprived people in the world. The Opus Dei website states the motivation for these voluntary penances is to imitate Christ and to join him in his redemptive sacrifice (cf. These are practices which Opus Dei states Catholics have used for centuries. Some of the celibate members of Opus Dei sometimes practice traditional Catholic penances such as using the cilice (a light metal chain with prongs which is worn round the thigh) and the discipline (a woven cotton strap). They are celibate, live with other members and, on occasion, practice corporal mortification - the most controversial of Opus Dei's traditions.Ĭorporal mortification is the practice of physically enduring a minor amount of suffering. Associates and numeraries make up about 25% to 30% of members. There are three types of members of Opus Dei: numeraries, associates and supernumeraries. It also lays particular stress on the unique character of Roman Catholicism - as compared with other churches and faiths. Opus Dei is a strong advocate of traditional Catholic values, focusing particularly on spreading the Catholic teaching that every individual is called to become a saint and an apostle of Jesus Christ and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. It takes over five years to join, with a person's commitment to joining having to be renewed each year, before a lifelong commitment is possible. Often people are invited along to a meeting, although according to their website any lay Catholic may ask to join Opus Dei as long as they are at least 18 years old. In other words, they try to help others through their regular work and their day-to-day life. Opus Dei describes itself as "a personal prelature of the Catholic church that helps people seek holiness in their work and ordinary activities". Jack Valero, Opus Dei spokesman in the UK, claimed that they got two to three enquiries a day - up to 50 a month - from people looking to join.
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Members are encouraged to promote their faith through their professional work and their everyday lives.Ĭritics accuse the organisation of being secretive and elitist but members wholeheartedly reject this.ĭespite these very public criticisms, thanks to the publicity the organisation has been getting from The Da Vinci Code phenomenon, UK numbers are rising. Opus Dei is a Catholic organisation with around 85,000 members worldwide and about 500 members in the UK.