This is a list of prominent Opus Dei members. It is intended to include people whose membership is documented in published sources, and therefore a matter of public record.
The names of Opus Dei directors and priests are available in official Catholic journals and Opus Dei's official bulletin, Romana.
Opus Dei treats membership status of its lay members in a confidential manner, having a stated policy of neither confirming nor denying the membership of Opus Dei until the member in question has publicly acknowledged his or her membership.
Opus Dei maintains lists of cooperators, who are not considered by Opus Dei to be members, and who do not even have to be Roman Catholics, but who agree assist with the work of Opus Dei in any of various ways. Such cooperators are not included in this list.
Opus Dei's defenders express the belief that a person's spiritual life is a private matter. Detractors argue that, given Opus Dei's strong defence of traditional Roman Catholic positions in such matters as reproductive politics, homosexual rights, as well as its historical opposition to the political left, membership of the organisation is indeed relevant to exercising functions in the public domain. Against this, Opus Dei states that it is a non-political organisation and does not direct or try to influence its members in any way in the fulfillment of their professional duties, whether in the public or private sphere, except where such activities impinge on their duties as Roman Catholics.
This article should by no means be considered an exhaustive list of past and present members and sympathisers of Opus Dei involved in political, religious, cultural, academic or literary life.
Paola Binetti - Senator-elect in Italy (2006). A numerary member. Binetti belongs to a party -- La Margherita (“The Daisy”) -- which includes Christian Democrats, Socialists, Greens and even some ex-Communists.[1]
Antonio Fontán - President of the Senate of Spain in 1977-1979. A journalist who advocated free elections and trade unions, and was persecuted by Franco. He helped draft Spain's new democratic constitution after Franco.[2]
Alberto Ullastres Calvo (d. 2001) - Minister of Trade (1957-1965). He is one of the members of Opus Dei who were appointed by Franco as ministers (Spain under Franco). He pushed forward the so called Plan of Stabilization which brought about Spain's transition from economic autarchy to liberalization and internationalization of the national economy.[3]
Adolfo Suárez - President of Government in the democracy in Spain from 1978 to 1982, was a supernumerary member of Opus Dei[4].
Laureano López Rodó (d. 2000) - Technological Secretary of the State Department (Spain under Franco); Minister of Foreign Affairs (1973-1974). A numerary member.
Gregorio López Bravo (d.) - Minister for Industry (1963 - 1969, Spain under Franco),[5] Minister of Foreign Affairs (1969-1973). A supernumerary
Vicente Mortes Alfonso (d.) - Minister for Housing (1969 -1973, Spain under Franco).[6] A supernumerary
Mariano Navarro Rubio (d. 2001) - Treasury Department (1957-1965, Spain under Franco)
Juan José Espinosa San Martín - Minister for Finance (1965 - 1969, Spain under Franco).[7]
Faustino García-Moncó Fernández - Minister for Trade (1965 - 1969, Spain under Franco).[7]
Fernando Herrero Tejedor (d. 1975) - Secretary General of the Movimiento (Franco's political party) (1975).[7]
José María Albareda (d. 1966) - Secretary General and head of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas). He was close friend of Escrivá and one of the first numerary members of Opus Dei. He was also a close friend of José Ibáñez Martín, falangist and Minister for Education for Franco from 1939 to 1951, who is widely credited with sponsoring the great expansion of Opus Dei into Spanish third-level education during that period. Both take much of the credit for developing the political concept of "Nacional-Catolicismo".
Jesus Estanislao - Secretary of Economic Planning and subsequently Finance Secretary of the Philippines under Corazon Aquino (1989-1992), who toppled the dictatorial government of Ferdinand Marcos. A numerary member of Opus Dei, who started Opus Dei in the Philippines.[8]
Joaquín Lavín - politician in Chile, twice defeated in his bid for the presidency of Chile. He is a member of the Independent Democrat Union (UDI) party and former mayor of Santiago and Las Condes municipalities of capital Santiago.[9]
Robert Hanssen - FBI agent who was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and Russia.[10] His treason has been described as "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history." A supernumerary, he reportedly left Opus Dei after his arrest.
Rory O'Hanlon (d. 2002), Professor of Criminal and Constitutional Law at University College Dublin and High Court Judge in Ireland (1981 - 1995). He was dismissed by the Irish Government from Presidency of the Law Reform Commission in 1992, after commenting that if membership of the EU forced the introduction of abortion to Ireland, the country should withdraw from the Union. He later sued the Government and won substantial damages.[11] He was a supernumerary member of Opus Dei.[12]
Writing and Journalism
Joaquin Navarro Valls (born November 16, 1936, Cartagena, Spain) was a physician and journalist who later served as the Director of the Vatican Press Office, taking the post in 1984. A numerary member.[13]
Robert Duncan (Journalist) - a noted journalist.[14] An ombudsman for foreign press in Spain; vice-president of OPCI Ibero-American press association; vice-president of APSCE, association for energy and telecommunications; past executive board member for Spain's oldest and largest foreign press body, the Club Internaciónal de Prensa; editor for Spero News and EnerPub[3]Antonio Fontán, Spanish journalist who fought for press freedom. He later became the first Senate President of Spain's democracy.
Rafael Calvo Serer (d. 1988) - editor and founder of Diario Madrid who was hounded into exile for his criticism of Franco, who closed the publication. Although Messori states that Calvo, by working underground, helped to bring democracy to Spain,[15] According to some, he did not oppose Francoism, but Franco himself about Franco's succession (see Preston 623-3, 663 and 671).
Antonio Fontán (born 1923) - journalist who advocated free elections and trade unions in Spain under Franco. Later served as President of the Senate and helped draft Spain's new democratic constitution.[15]
Francis Fernandez Carvajal - wrote In Conversation with God, which has sold over two million copies in several languages, including Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovakian and Polish. It consists of over 450 meditations, one or more for every day of the year, as well as three meditations for each Sunday, corresponding to the three year cycle in the Catholic lectionary.[16]
Pilar Urbano - Spanish journalist whose interviewing technique has become a model for other journalists. A numerary.[17]
Cesare Cavalleri - Italian literary critic and publisher. He received the Premio internazionale Medaglia d'oro per la Cultura cattolica (International Golden Medal Award for Catholic Culture).[18]
Alberto Michelini - Italian film director, journalist and politician. A supernumerary member.[19]
Michael Cook - Australian journalist. [4] Editor of MercatorNet, "An on-line magazine for navigating modern complexities." [5]
Michael Adams - Irish publisher. He is a numerary member and the Managing Director of Four Courts Press, Ireland's largest academic publishing house.[20]
Science and academia
Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe is an American scientist and is James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University. He received the 2002 Stockholm Water Prize for his role in developing the science of hydrology. He believes in global warming and evolutionary theory and rejects intelligent design.[21]
Mariano Artigas - received Templeton Foundation Award in 1995 for his work on science and religion. He wrote The Mind of the Universe: Understanding Science and Religion and fifteen other books on science and religion.[22]
Scott Hahn - An American theologian, former Presbyterian pastor and convert to Catholicism. He is best known for his conversion story Rome Sweet Home and theology books like The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth or First Comes Love: Finding Your Family in the Church and the Trinity. He recounts his membership in Opus Dei in his book Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace: My Spiritual Journey in Opus Dei.[24] A supernumerary.
Jose Orlandis - historian who is known for his work Short History of the Catholic Church.[25]
Ives Gandra da Silva Martins - Brazilian law scholar and professor in Brazilian universities, writer on law and history. Prof. Gandra published at least 40 books. In order to maintain his independence from government, he did not accept payment for his services to the government. He was even persecuted by the military government.[26]
Leonardo Polo - Philosopher and author of Theory of Knowledge and Philosophical Anthropology.
Peter Berglar - German historian. He is known for his many publications, amongst which his biography of Thomas More is considered one of the best.
Toni Zweifel (1938-1989), a Swissengineer who patented several inventions. He founded and served as director of the Limmat Foundation [6], a foundation that supports social projects all over the world with a majority of women as project beneficiaries.[31] His process of beatification has been opened.[32] A numerary.
Margaret Ogola, medical director of the Cottolengo Hospice in Nairobi for HIV-positive orphans and Kenyan author. A supernumerary with four children, she heads the Commission for Health and Family Life for the Kenyan bishops' conference.[33] Her novel The River and the Source, which follows four generations of Kenyan women in a rapidly changing country and society, won the Africa Region Commonwealth Award for Literature. Interested in women's empowerment, she is also Vice-President of Family Life Counselling (Kenya).
John Henry, "one of the world's leading authorities on drugs and poisons" and "Britain's best known toxicologist [who] made frequent appearances on television and radio."[34]
Ernesto Cofiño - pioneer of pediatrics in Guatemala. He founded hospitals, was director of Caritas, and promoted youth development. Having died with a reputation for sanctity, his cause of beatification was granted a nihil obstat by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints on July 7, 2000. A supernumerary.
Umberto Farri (d. 2006), founder and President of Istituto per la Cooperazione Universitaria (Institute for University Co-operation) or ICU. [7] It is a non-governmental organization which has completed over 200 development co-operation projects in 32 countries.
Felipe González de Canales is a co-founder of a system of agriculture schools and rural development centers called Escuelas Familiares Agrarias (Agrarian Family Schools) which has 30 schools in Spain and has influenced 68 other agricultural schools in other parts of the world.[35] He is also the founder of two trade unions. He is an associate member of Opus Dei.[36]
Business
José María Ruiz Mateos, a prominent Spanish businessman involved in the infamous RUMASA scandal, was a supernumerary member of Opus Dei from 1963 until his expulsion in 1986.[37]
Eduardo Guilisasti - Chief Executive Officer of Concha y Toro Winery, known as Chile's foremost winery. [8]. He told Bloomberg.com that he is a numerary member.[9]File:Isaacviciosa.jpgFrontrunner Isaac Viciosa, European record holder at 3000m
Antonio Bienvenida - a famous Spanish bullfighter (1922-1975). According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The great Antonio Bienvenida...was killed by a small heifer on his ranch in 1975." A supernumerary.[40]
Juan Luis Cardinal Cipriani Thorne, Archbishop of Lima, former Archbishop of Ayacucho o Huamanga, Peru. He was a prominent supporter of Arberto Fujimori's government of the country from 1990 to 2000. He is an outspoken critic of liberation theology.[41]
