Reply #18: Scalia, Clarence Thomas & Robert Hansen the spy was Opus Dei..... [View All]

[ElsewheresDaughter]

also Hannity , O'Lielly, Sen. Rick Santurum


"Suspected spy Robert Hanssen was many things, including a devout Catholic. He was a member of an organization, Opus Dei, a religious group of lay men (some of whom take a vow of chastity) and priests that has a strong following in Washington.

"Fifteen years ago, at the height of the Reagan administration, dozens of Opus Dei members held prominent jobs in the White House, on Capitol Hill, and throughout the government. Now that group, which meets regularly in a large house in Washington, is coming under scrutiny by the FBI.

"If Hanssen was active in this group, who's to say what he heard, what he saw, or whether there might be others who inadvertently and unknowingly aided him over the years," says an FBI source. "It's troubling because this is such a high-profile group. The names of its members and friends reached into the cabinet of the Reagan and Bush administrations.

~~~~~~~~~~

Unmarried members, called "numeraries," commit to celibacy, turn over their salaries to Opus Dei and live in group-run "centers," where men and women are segregated.

Numeraries also regularly practice acts of "corporal mortification" uncommon to most Catholics, which can include flagellating one's buttocks and wearing a spiked chain on one's thighs. Such acts are said to help bolster self-discipline and recall the suffering of Christ.

In the new headquarters, the sexes live, work and worship in separate parts of the building. They even come and go through separate entrances.

Female members are encouraged to pursue all occupations, but within Opus Dei residence facilities, certain women and not men perform the housekeeping chores.

"I suppose Opus Dei appeals to people who want to belong to a spiritually disciplined group," says Ken Woodward, religion writer for Newsweek magazine. "There always is going to be a certain number of Catholics to whom that is going to appeal."

An Increasing Presence

While U.S. Opus Dei membership may not be exploding, there are many signs of a growing strength and influence.

Most striking is the newly constructed headquarters in the heart of New York City. The 17-story building houses at least six chapels, 26 bedrooms for guests visiting on retreats, quarters for permanent residents, a gym, a cafeteria and offices.

Opus Dei also has facilities in 34 other cities, including four conference centers, three high schools, and five inner-city tutoring centers. It also operates more than 60 residence centers for members nationwide.

"It started basically with three people coming over 50 years ago with nothing," says Finnerty, the organization's spokesman. "So when you consider, from those three people, four high schools, three major conference centers, this building and the 3,000 members of Opus Dei, and other people connected, all of them trying to put the message of Opus Dei into practice, it's a significant thing."

Official Sanction

As for influence, Opus Dei's founder and central message have been praised by many of the nation's top Catholic leaders, including the late archbishops of Chicago and New York, and the current archbishop of Washington, Cardinal James Hickey.

Hickey last September dedicated the first public chapel in the United States honoring Opus Dei's founder. The chapel is located in the Washington Archdiocese's Catholic Information Center, which is currently run by an Opus Dei priest, Father John McCloskey, just two blocks from the White House.

In March, Opus Dei reached another milestone, when the Rev. Jose H. Gomez became the first Opus Dei member to be ordained an auxiliary bishop in the United States. The pope named him to the Archdiocese of Denver in January.

And, New York's new cardinal, Egan, is expected soon to bless a chapel in the new Opus Dei headquarters.