http://in.news.yahoo.com//060518/48/64d3x.html Friday May 19, 03:25 AM
Opus Dei in India: quiet and spiritual The Da Vinci Code is cleared, group at centre of controversy has centres in Delhi, Mumbai The secretive Opus Dei has been the subject of much rumour in its 98 years. But never has this Catholic faction attracted as much attention as it has since the publication of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, in which it is depicted as not stopping at murder to keep the secrets of the faith. With the movie version set for release in India with an A certificate and a declaration that it's a work of fiction, The Indian Express obtained information about the Opus Dei in India after a series of phone calls and email exchanges. The Da Vinci Code's fictional Opus Dei is a group with sadomasochistic and monastic rituals, one of whose members commits serial murder in pursuit of a Church-threatening secret. But the real Opus Dei (Latin for Work of God) focuses more on the spiritual. The prelature was founded in 1928 by St Josemaria Escriva ''to help people grow closer to God, serve others, improve society.'' It was started in India in 1993. It has two centres, one in Delhi and another in Mumbai, though the addresses are not divulged. The Delhi centre has a post box (No 4559, Delhi-16), and the one in Mumbai is located in ''a posh area.'' ''Opus Dei is not a religious order, it's a personal prelature of the Catholic church,'' said I A Mariano, its spokesperson for India. ''Personal prelatures are part of the jurisdictional and heirarchical structure of the church. They have a prelate, secular priests, and lay faithful united to carry out the prelature's mission. Opus Dei's mission is to spread the ideal of holiness.'' As elsewhere in the world, Opus Dei in India has among its members the powerful and the rich, including civil servants and judicial officers. "Some 30 people live in Opus Dei centres in Mumbai and Delhi," says Mariano and it includes mainly "lay people and some few priests." They all participate in its educational, cultural, and charitable activities. ''We provide members and others spiritual formation, aimed at helping to develop their spiritual life. Besides some members promote educational activities aimed at helping young people grow in spiritual and other complementary ways,'' Mariano said. On being asked about why the institution is known for its secrecy, Mariano quoted Opus Dei Bishop Javier Echevarria: ''The emphasis is on personal Christian formation, not on activities or structures. The faith implies personal discovery.'' Then why do some people allege that it is a spiritual and social elite that fosters secrecy? The answer, again quoting the bishop, is: ''Invite anyone who considers himself poorly informed about the prelature to call one of the faithful or a center of the prelature... the founder of Opus Dei used to say that to communicate well you need good explainers and good understanders.'' The spokesman also made it clear that ''its stand on The Da Vinci Code movie is that of the Catholic Church in India.'' _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org)