CTV.ca | Decoding Opus Dei: Fighting fiction with fact

In the pages of the bestselling book, the character is painted as a fanatical, murderous member of the ultraconservative religious group Opus Dei, who lashes himself with an Inquisition-issue whip.

The novel contends that Opus Dei and the church are responsible for covering up the fact that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and sired a bloodline.

The movie, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard, is being released by Sony Pictures division Columbia Pictures and premieres in May at the Cannes film festival in France.

Author Dan Brown's website contends the book's depiction of the Opus Dei, which is portrayed as a homicidal sect fixated on power and self-mutilation, is "based on numerous books written about Opus Dei as well as on my own personal interviews."

But Opus Dei, which is breaking the organization's historical silence to parry negative accusations, says the depiction is inaccurate.

National Catholic Reporter Vatican correspondent John Allen, who has written what is widely considered the definitive book on the group, said virtually none of the information in Brown's book is accurate.

"There really is an Opus Dei, it does have headquarters in New York. Beyond that, most of The Da Vinci Code is a radical exaggeration to the point of being unrecognizable or complete fiction," Allen told CTV.ca.

"There are two Opus Deis. The Opus Dei of myth -- the vast-all powerful outfit -- and then there is Opus Dei of reality, which is the much more modest thing I described."

Fighting fiction with fact

The Opus Dei headquarters in Montreal has launched a publicity campaign to respond to the unprecedented public interest sparked by the book and coming film.

Where the Montreal office may have received two or three requests for information daily some five years ago, today there are easily 15 such calls, with many more expected as the film approaches.

Indeed, at least a dozen press officers in Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver are fielding calls and emails from across the country.

"Opus Dei, through a series of hard knocks in the court of popular opinion, has learned a very fundamental lesson, which is the more you try to avoid attention, the more of it you get," Allen said.

"I think it took them a long time and a lot of black eyes in terms of PR to get the point but I think they finally learned that the only way to counteract impression of secretiveness and nefarious dealings is to open themselves up and be as transparent as they can," he said.

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