Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church

with author Gareth Gore

Opus Dei has been known as a ‘personal prelature’ within the structure of the Catholic Church and the Vatican. Though independently operating, with its own leadership and governance, it is also directly subject to the authority of the Pope. Pope Francis, in fact, has changed the oversight of Opus Dei. According to the Catholic News Agency, this August 2024, the Pope changed canon law on Opus Dei and any personal prelature. It is no secret that Opus Dei does not like many of the Pope’s policies to reform corruption and move the Church to the 21^st century. Change is taking place, and I believe the material described factually in this book has played a significant role in bringing light to the harmful practices of this very powerful organization. 

Cults follow patterns in recruiting methods, who they attempt to bring in, and how members are indoctrinated using Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional controls (BITE Model of Authoritarian Control). They also tend to obfuscate finances through front groups with benign messaging that commonly hide more nefarious business practices lurking beneath. Opus Dei, the conservative arm inside the Catholic Church, has been accused of that and more by both dedicated members within the church and outsiders alike.  

Gareth Gore, journalist, and editor, helped viewers unpack the financial side and more in the shadowy topic known as Opus Dei on this episode of the Influence Continuum. He has over two decades of experience writing and has been published in Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, and International Financing Review. He is also the host of The Syndicate, which tells behind-the-scenes stories of the biggest financial deals in history. His new book is published by Simon & Schuster and is titled Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church. 

Financial Breadcrumbs of Opus Dei 

As Gareth Gore told me about the structure of Opus Dei, I shared how the Moonies cult was also organized using front groups (hundreds of them). I asked Gareth how he first got interested in the Opus Dei organization. Gore is a financial journalist, and so he began investigating their network of financial profiles and connections. He mentioned that his first unraveling of their influence was in 2017 while following the banking collapse of Banco Popular. Opus Dei was stated to be closely linked to the bank. Gareth noted that three non-profit organizations had received almost a billion dollars in transfers from the bank over the years. These organizations were often reported to be intricately linked to communications and command, even direct orders, though official records were not recording the ties.  

I noted how cults often hide the breadth of the organization, and that it appears the secretive order may have further obfuscated its true intentions in recruitment, expansion and cover-up. Opus Dei has a history of payment to settle lawsuits, including a 2005 settlement of almost a million dollars for sexual misconduct by one of their priests. The more organizations involved indirectly with a cult, but receiving direct orders from the overarching organization, the more difficult it is for the average person to follow the money. I noted that an interagency task force was eventually needed to unveil the network of organizations involved in the Moonies cult, for instance.  

Who are the Critics of Opus Dei? 

We discussed how some of the most vocal critiques of Opus Dei are from inside the larger organization: devoted Catholics, priests, and theologians, many calling it a mind-control cult. The church is divided into factions. Some see it as an important preserved aspect of the church, so the leadership within the Vatican operates on a very calculated political platform. Changes must be made with caution. Opus Dei was founded in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá, and it was canonized into Catholicism by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Like many cults, Opus Dei aggressively targets young persons for indoctrination, focusing on those who would be useful, such as intelligent leaders or future influential persons within society.  

Gareth reminded the listeners, however, that people have been calling out Opus Dei’s practices for decades, even as far back as the 1960s fascism in Spain, when allied organizations were sending up warning signals. ODAN, the Opus Dei Awareness Network, has been actively bringing awareness to the issue since 1991. It published an analysis of Opus Dei’s using my BITE model of Authoritarian Control (Behavior, Information, Thought, Emotion Control). Opus Libros, a Spanish-language site for former members, sheds light on the organization through impactful testimonials. There is even a Reddit forum dedicated to the topic, so Gareth noted the concerns about the organization have been known and discussed, often backed up with first-hand accounts, for a long time. Nevertheless, he hopes to bring attention to the topic further using his carefully crafted dissection of Opus Dei in his new book.  

Victims of Opus Dei  

“Don’t listen to what groups say; look at their behavior,” I reminded listeners, as we discussed the front face of Opus Dei that Gareth noted states publicly that they believe in freedom of thought but secretly often exercise information control in the shadows. Gareth then continued to describe his increasing understanding of Opus Dei, reading an Associated Press article about 40+ women in Argentina who decided to go public about abuse that they’d suffered in a related organization. The women were commonly recruited as impoverished children and offered “education and a better life.” However, Gareth noted the women describing how they had basically become enslaved by the organization. He eventually found a link between Opus Dei banking and the school in Argentina where the women had been recruited. I noted that this appeared to be labor trafficking, which is common in cults.  

Networks of Power and Influence in Modern Times Under Opus Dei 

“It would be surprising, I think, to a lot of people, the number of political and business elite members who are members of Opus Dei,” Gareth stated as we discussed ways in which the organization has influenced topics of power within modern societal operations. Gareth noted associations between Opus Dei and influential persons such as Arthur C. Brooks, who recently wrote a book with Oprah Winfrey, or Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, who is considered the architect of Project 2025. Gareth also mentioned Mick Mulvaney, who was the White House Chief of Staff under Donald Trump, and who is also a member of Opus Dei. “This is not an accident,” Gareth stated, noting how the organization has targeted the elite for membership. Leonard Leo, William Barr, and Patt Cipollone also show connections to Opus Dei.  

I reminded people again about the importance of understanding how cults recruit, finding those who are influential vs. the myth that they often go after those who are weak of mind. Opus Dei members are often lawyers, politicians, doctors, and journalists. The hidden underbelly of the organization is often that the information from these people’s lives is passed up the chain, and records are kept and used.  

As we ended the conversation, I encouraged people to read Gareth Gore’s new book to learn about this internationally powerful cult, at odds with Pope Francis and their power as well as their financial agenda to influence politics. Also, to learn more about the reality of Opus Dei- read the founder’s writings that reveal the practices of the organization to better understand the recruiting strategies and to avoid further exploitation or assisting current members in exiting.   

Resources: 

Watch the new documentary, “How I Left the Opus Dei” and Steve’s video review

From their own site: Opus Dei Still Recruits Minors

Survivors of Opus Dei: watch this! 

The Syndicate Podcast Series - Apple Podcasts 

Opus Dei Awareness Network (ODAN)  

Opus Libros: Opus Dei: ¿un CAMINO a ninguna parte? (opuslibros.org) 

Reddit community forum: Opus Dei Exposed

Pope Francis changes canon law on Opus Dei and any future personal prelatures 

How Opus Dei Conquered D.C. 

Opus Dei and the Moneybags Kid

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