When plans were revealed for a movie based on the book, Opus Dei leaders say they tried to persuade Sony Pictures to eliminate any mention of their group.
Opus Dei's United States leader, Fr. Thomas Bohlin, sent the letter to Sony Pictures last year, saying the book was "a gross distortion and a grave injustice" and asking that Opus Dei be left out of the movie. Fr. Bohlin received a "polite but noncommittal" response, reported the Times.
Jim Kennedy, a spokesman for Sony Pictures, reportedly said: "We see 'The Da Vinci Code' as a work of fiction and not intended to harm any organization. At its heart the film is a thriller, and we do agree that it really provides a unique opportunity for Opus Dei and other organizations to let people know more about their work and their beliefs."
A positive spin-off from this pop culture phenomenon, say Opus Dei leaders, is Doubleday’s imminent release of "The Way," a collection of spiritual writings by the Opus Dei founder, Fr. Josemaria Escriva. Opus Dei spokesperson Brian Finnerty told the New York Times that Brown’s book opened the door for the publication.
Still, the movie is expected to revive a long debate over Opus Dei’s influence in the Church, its financial clout, its reputation for secrecy and the practice of corporal mortification by some of its members. Its recruiting practices, described on the Web site for the Opus Dei Awareness Network, have also caused debate.
The New York Times article attributes Opus Dei's reputation for secrecy to the group's tradition that members do not publicly proclaim their affiliation, and the impression of the group’s significant financial clout to Opus Dei’s U.S. headquarters in New York — a 17-story building at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 34th Street on which the group spent $69 million.
Author and Vatican correspondent John Allen determined Opus Dei’s assets to be $2.8 billion, much of it tied up in schools and hospitals worldwide. This figure, however, is difficult to confirm, as the organization does not have central financial records.
Allen authored "Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church” and concludes that Opus Dei’s power and wealth have been largely exaggerated.
There are about 84,541 Catholic lay people and 1,875 priests around the world that belong to Opus Dei. Among its members, 70 percent are supernumeraries, who are usually married, live in their own homes and work in their professions. About 20 percent are numeraries, who have given their lives entirely to the work of the organization, making a promise of celibacy and living in an Opus Dei center. Ten percent are associates, who are celibate but live on their own and not in Opus Dei centers.