Opus Dei’s presiding bishop, Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz has requested prayers from the Catholic institution’s members for the Pope Francis-ordered reform initiative, which started on August 4.
In a letter sent on September 10, the bishop urged readers to “continue to pray for the task that the pope has given to us to adapt the Statutes of the Work to what is stated in the motu proprio “Ad charisma tuendum.”
“We have already begun the proper investigations to carry it out,” he added, referring to the General Council and the Central Advisory.
“I have kept you particularly present in my prayer throughout the days spent in the Holy Land, knowing that I am accompanied by yours at the same time,” Ocáriz wrote.
For Opus Dei, what did Pope Francis order?
Pope Francis ordered a reform of Opus Dei in an apostolic letter that the Vatican released on July 22 under the title “Ad charisma tuendum” (To preserve the charism).
The pope’s directives include the following: Opus Dei will no longer be overseen by a bishop going forward; its laws must be updated; it must submit an annual report; and it will now report to the dicastery for clergy rather than the dicastery for bishops.
According to Opus Dei, the Holy See took the initiative and decided that the prelate could no longer serve as a bishop in order to strengthen the institution’s “charismatic character” rather than its hierarchical one.
Ocáriz, 77, will not be ordained as a bishop since he is not one and because of the pontifical decree.
This does not “directly introduce changes in the structure of governance of the prelature, nor in the relations of the prelature’s authority with the bishops,” which implies that it will continue to operate as before, according to a question-and-answer section of Opus Dei’s website in Spain.
The previous rule that required it every five years has been altered by establishing that an annual report on the prelature’s state and the progression of its apostolic mission must be given.
The pontifical statement also calls for the revision of the laws, which must first be offered by Opus Dei and accepted by the appropriate Vatican authorities.
Opus Dei: What is it?
The only personal prelature in the Catholic Church is Opus Dei. It was established by St. Josemara Escrivá de Balaguer in Spain in 1928 and is now found in 68 nations.
The prelate, who is the general leader of the prelature and is chosen by the pope, is in charge of the organisation as a whole, just as a bishop is in charge of his diocese or designated region.
Its adherents sometimes refer to Opus Dei as “The Labour” because of its Latin name, which translates as “Work of God.” Its primary focus or charism is sanctification via ordinary work.
Priests, celibate lay members known as numeraries and associates, and supernumeraries—married members—all make up Opus Dei.
A sect is not Opus Dei.