A Non-Member Caught in the Middle of Opus Dei Control
The global controversy surrounding came from the publication of The Da Vinci Code. While the controversial aspects of Opus Dei depicted in the book and later film had always been there, the subsequent publicity was far from wanted by the organization. Members do not openly declare themselves to be members of Opus Dei and indeed, are not allowed to reveal membership unless allowed to do so by a superior. The conditions in which many members live have come under scrutiny too: some 20% live in closed residential centers that are heavily regimented in lifestyle. And as we will see in this witness account, contact with the outside world is censored. Critics claim that those who enter the residential centers may well do so of their own free will, but once inside, they are discouraged from contacting family members and friends in the outside world and thus may not be able to leave as and when they want to.
“I wasn’t a member but lived in their women’s hostel in London in 1986 when I left home and went there at 17. I had been very religious, and was interested in this Catholic hostel (as it was sold to me). However, the good friend that I made there and I soon realized how hypocritical the members were. They were only friendly to us at the beginning when they thought that they could convert us, and my friend worked out that they also saw that we were not going to bring in a lot of money so weren’t worth the effort. I moved out after several months but had the strange feeling of having to look over my shoulder all the time. Even as a non-member, and with such a brief encounter of them, I realized what it would be like to enter and leave a cult. Most unsettling.”
