Opus Dei
Sir: To adapt Patrick Marnham's words (Postscript, 6 November), 'it looked pretty good between the Pope and the Spectator', but with articles like that from David Gollob, 'something has seemed to go sour between them'.
At the end of his article, Mr Gollob pays the Pope the compliment of calling him 'this great statesman, humanist and thinker'. Up to that point, however, he had been writing of him as if the Pope were the greatest simpleton around, as if only John Paul H failed to see the reality of the Catholic Church in Spain — or anywhere else. I think Mr Gollob should credit the Pope with at least an equal understanding of the state of the Church he runs as he himself claims to have!
Certainly, the writer's assessment of Opus Dei shows only a superficial know- ledge of it, gleaned, presumably, from the 'bad press' Opus Dei is not supposed to be 'bothered about'. To set the record straight, allow me to correct a few of his in- accuracies: Opus Dei is not an 'order'; it is an institu- tion of the Church, which the Pope has recently decided to make a personal prelature.
Opus Dei cannot 'collaborate' with any temporal government or organisation since its aims are purely spiritual and its main activity is to provide spiritual help to its members. Certainly, some Spanish mem- bers of Opus Dei, in their own name, served in Franco's government. Other Spanish members of Opus Dei, equally in their own name, were imprisoned or exiled during the
Franco regime for their political views.
By the same token, Opus Dei does III control any temporal activity of the kill mentioned in the article. Opus Dei is not 'elitist'. Mr Gollob ineolli tions the Madrid working-class suburb as Vallecas. Is he aware that members of 013_,5 Dei have been running a school and sp011e centre there for the local children for pot the
30 years?
John Horrigan
6 Orme Court, London W2
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