Gareth Gore's book alleges Opus Dei abuses, ties to Banco Popular

Gareth Gore published the book 'Opus' in 2024, presenting a meticulously researched account of abuses allegedly perpetrated by Opus Dei, including child grooming, human trafficking, and psychological and emotional control, according to the book. Opus Dei categorically denies these allegations. Opus Dei is a highly secretive Catholic group started by the Spanish priest Josemaría Escrivá in the 1920s.

According to Gareth Gore, it collaborated closely with the bloody dictatorship of Francisco Franco in Spain before supporting rightwing causes worldwide. He laid much of the blame for the alleged abuses with the wider Catholic church, which relied on Opus Dei for financial support in the 1970s and in return gave it freedom to operate as a legitimate branch of Catholicism, but outside the Vatican's normal structures. In 2002, Josemaría Escrivá was made a saint after ferocious lobbying by Opus Dei, despite much protest from within the Vatican as abuse allegations mounted.

Gareth Gore believes Opus Dei would never have been able to function without the complicity of the Vatican. Gareth Gore began reporting on Opus Dei almost by accident while investigating the collapse of Banco Popular, one of Spain's largest banks, in 2017. He discovered that Banco Popular had been hijacked by Opus Dei since the 1940s, with the bank's chair being a lifetime member, much of its board being members, and companies controlled by Opus Dei being the bank's largest shareholders.

According to Gareth Gore, Opus Dei used Banco Popular as its personal cash machine, siphoning off funds to finance its expansion around the world. The trial of Banco Popular's former leadership, facing allegations of fraud, is scheduled to begin in Spain's national court in 2027. Opus Dei has denied that it was involved in the management of Banco Popular and said it does not get involved in commercial activities.

Through hundreds of interviews with former Opus Dei members, Gareth Gore's book traces how from the 1950s onwards, Banco Popular's wealth went into creating a vast recruitment network targeting children and vulnerable teenagers, building palatial Opus Dei centres across the world, and eventually forming one of the most powerful religious organisations. Former members say Opus Dei used private confessions as leverage against members and drugged those under its sway. Opus Dei claims to help ordinary people 'love God and serve others through work well done, carried out with honesty and integrity'.