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April 16, 2005

Conclave conspiracy theories

With all the political analysis of the upcoming papal selection, which I'm hoping won't be decided on politics after all, I'm suprised this angle hasn't gotten more airtime. As if the conservative takeover here in the states had not already picked up enough steam as it is. Either way, I'll probably give in and buy "Angels & Demons" this weekend to get my fix of clandestine plots, then tune in to see where Cheney, Frist, and Delay are taking our country next....

From the AP:


Conservative group Opus Dei watching closely as cardinals prepare to elect the next pope

Founded in Spain in 1928, the movement has more than 80,000 members worldwide, many of them lay people but also hundreds of priests, bishops and even two cardinals among those who will be casting votes in Rome.

Its mission, to give lay people a dynamic role in spreading the word of God, enjoyed firm support from John Paul II who championed the movement as a means of confronting the secularization of society and reinforcing his conservative doctrine.

But Opus Dei - Latin for "God's work" - has also been accused of secretive, cult-like practices, brainwashing of members into blind devotion and murky financial dealings.

"There is obviously some concern over whether the next pontiff will be open to something like Opus Dei," said Anthony Figueiredo, a priest and professor of theology at Seton Hall University near New York who was once based at the Holy See.

"I can be sure in this pre-conclave period, this is one of the areas they are discussing," he said, referring to the secretive gathering of cardinals that begins Monday.

Opus Dei is what is known as a "personal prelature," which in practical terms means its leader, Monsignor Javier Echevarria, does not answer to any diocese, only to the pope himself.

The most interesting part of the article?


The two cardinals known to belong to Opus Dei are the archbishop of Lima, Peru, Juan Luis Cipriani, and Julian Herranz, a Spaniard based at the Vatican.

Another cardinal, the archbishop of Milan, Dionigi Tettamanzi, is known to be sympathetic to Opus Dei and is a possible papal candidate, according to Figuereido and Spanish theologian Enrique Miret Magdalena.

Figuereido cited three reasons to watch Tettamanzi: he played a prominent role at a bishops' meeting called a synod that was dedicated to Europe and in 1993 he was influential in the writing of a major papal encyclical on morality that was called the Splendor of Truth.

But most importantly, a few years ago John Paul II transferred Tettamanzi from Genoa to Milan, one of the world's largest Catholic diocese. And such a shift is rare for a church leader who was already a cardinal, Figueiredo said.

"That is very significant," he said. "He was almost saying, 'this is my man.'"


Posted by Mike at April 16, 2005 01:51 AM

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