Opus Dei's relief was short-lived: Pope Leo XIV demands major reform of its statutes and re-opens the human trafficking case in Argentina

First two stories- more significant background to this story

The new Pope wasted no time in taking a position against the ultra-Catholic organization, and in a meeting with the leadership of the Work, he urged them to complete the changes they had unilaterally suspended out of "mourning" following Francis' death, while the first legal case against human trafficking moves forward.

One of Leo XIV's first official audiences addressed one of the most pressing issues of his nascent papacy, which is also related to the legacy he inherited from Francis: the situation of Opus Dei. Last Wednesday, Prevost summoned Opus Dei's "moderator," the Spaniard Fernando Ocáriz, and his deputy, the Argentine Mariano Fazio, to deliver a very clear message: the reform that Bergoglio had ordered in 2022 after demoting the ultra-Catholic group—and which was suspended after the Argentine's death—must be implemented as soon as possible.

The journalist who uncovered the plot surrounding Opus Dei in Argentina: "The exploitation of women is spreading to more countries"

The urgency of the meeting indicates that this is an issue the new Pope will prioritize, and although it remains to be seen how demanding he will be with the reform of the statutes, expectations are high. Vatican sources assure that he will not disappoint those awaiting the reform, who are not only former members and whistleblowers of the organization, but also many of its current members who have been calling for years for an aggiornamento, an adaptation to the new times.

However, there is resistance from the top. On the one hand, there is the evident delay in the timeframe for reforming the statutes, a primarily legal task, enormous but technical. Opus Dei presented two drafts, both rejected by the Argentine Pope, and was about to present the third and final version precisely the week of Francis's death. The second sign of resistance was evident in how Opus Dei reported on the meeting: they called Ocáriz "prelate," even though Francis had indicated in his 2022 motu proprio that, due to the de-hierarchization of the Church, Ocáriz would become a "moderator." In fact, he mentioned this in the Vatican agenda for May 14, but Opus Dei ignored it on its website.

In a very brief article, Opus Dei mentioned the presence of Ocáriz and his deputy, the Argentine Mariano Fazio, who is accused in the case in which the Opus Dei courts accuse the organization of human trafficking and labor exploitation for keeping women practically enslaved for years. "It was a brief meeting, in which the Pope expressed his closeness and affection," says the text released by Opus Dei. Neither the spokesperson nor sources within the organization were willing to comment on possible deadlines for the presentation of the new statutes.

The Vatican press office has not provided any information about the audience or what was discussed there.

Changes on hold due to "mourning and prayer"

Just hours after the announcement of Francis's death on April 21, another statement from Opus Dei arrived. It seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after months of pressure: the Congress, which was scheduled to begin 48 hours later and which already included the world's top leaders gathered in Rome, would be reduced to a minimum of activity in order to observe mourning and prayer. The ultraconservative Catholic organization thus avoided the ultimatum issued by the Argentine Pope.

"In these days of pain following the death of Pope Francis, we are focused on prayer and mourning, like the entire Church," Josefina Madariaga, head of the Opus Dei Communications Office in Argentina, explained to elDiario.es when asked about the organization's next steps following the death of Jorge Bergoglio. She confirmed the reduction of the Congress to the "essential minimum" and postponed decisions for later: "The topics that were going to be discussed will be reviewed later, as now is the time of mourning, prayer, and unity of the Church."

“This is a great disappointment for many of us who are part of the Work, who have long called for changes and for a life more in tune with the times,” admits a Spanish numerary who has been a member for several decades. “Opus Dei must change, and we hope it does. There are many things that can no longer continue to function as they have.” According to the woman, only the hierarchy knows the letter of the new statutes, which it is now unknown whether they will ever see the light of day, while the majority of members were not consulted. “Even less so the women's branch,” says the woman, who reveals that they had been warned that the upcoming changes were “dramatic, traumatic, historic, and revolutionary.”

“It's very simple: Opus Dei is not going to present new statutes if no one demands them, because they have never wanted to change them on their own. So it's logical that with the new Pope, they want to buy time,” explains a former Spanish numerary still close to the organization.

The case in Argentina is reopened

In September 2024, after two years of confidential investigation, two prosecutors in Argentina accused the highest authorities of Opus Dei in the country of trafficking and exploiting 43 women for servitude by the organization's elite members. Three former regional vicars and the director of the women's branch at the time, all four priests, were then summoned for questioning. However, the step that seemed imminent was delayed until today, generating all kinds of rumors of possible pressure and fears that the most serious case Opus Dei has faced in its history would come to nothing.

Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas, who resumed the investigation after the accusation by PROTEX and prosecutor Jorge Taiano, again took a statement in the Gesell chamber from the main witness, M.I.E., who provided many more details about her 31 years as an unpaid "maid" under celibacy, poverty, and obedience.

“The statement of M.I.E., the main victim in the case, had been scheduled earlier, but the defense requested a postponement and a review of the proceedings,” explained sources from the court overseeing Rafecas regarding the delay. What remains now is the formal summons for questioning of former regional vicars Carlos Nannei (1991-2000), Patricio Olmos (2000-2010), Víctor Urrestarazu (2014-2022), and the numerary priest who led the women's branch of the organization for almost all these decades, Gabriel Dondo.

Doubts continue to surround Mariano Fazio, the institution's top official between 2010 and 2014 and who has since been part of the world government of Opus Dei in Rome as auxiliary vicar, the Prelate's deputy and possible successor. Fazio, who was recently confirmed in that hierarchy during the Congress in which new authorities were appointed, appeared as a protagonist in M.I.E.'s statement: the woman confirmed that she had to serve him and clean his room at the main Opus Dei headquarters in Buenos Aires when he was vicar.

The trafficking case in Argentina, which was formalized as a complaint before the Vatican's Tribunal for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2021, was the origin of a series of measures with which Pope Francis punished Opus Dei with a de-hierarchization and the order to reform its statutes, untouchable since their drafting by the founder, José María Escrivá de Balaguer, and which were formalized before the Vatican when John Paul II granted it the privilege of Personal Prelature, a unique legal entity in the Catholic Church.

More than a year passed between the Pope's order to modify the statutes. This was going to be the third and final time to adapt them to their new reality outside the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Even though Francis downplayed the reforms to Opus Dei and explained them within a series of changes during his pontificate, he was concerned about the possible increase in complaints of trafficking and exploitation against the organization in other countries.

Before his death, Francis learned of the complaints against Opus Dei in Mexico, which confirm that the system of recruitment and exploitation of poor women as servants was replicated there as well.

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