> I know that Opus Dei was not mentioned here but I thought I would take the
> opportunity to bring them up.
Alas, Opus Dei is not just an historical footnote either; the former PM of Spain, Aznar, was a devotee. From the Guardian some years ago (1997):
[...]
On the secular front, Opus Dei is well represented throughout Latin America, where it has penetrated all levels of government, the military, and the business and financial establishments. In Peru, for example, Opus Dei forged a coalition of business and banking leaders with high-ranking bureaucrats that gave its backing to President Alberto Fujimori. When Tupac Amaru rebels seized the Japanese embassy last December, creating the 126-day hostage crisis, Fujimori called upon Archbishop Juan Luis Cipriani, from the mountain diocese of Ayacucho, to mediate - over the head of the Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Augusto Vargas Zamora, a Jesuit. Cipriani, one of seven Opus Dei bishops in Peru, is now favoured to succeed Cardinal Vargas, who is past the retirement age, as archbishop of Lima, which traditionally means promotion to the cardinalate.
Opus Dei's fortunes in Europe have been less certain. The exception is Spain, where its political influence regained considerable potency after last year's electoral victory of the conservative Jose Maria Aznar. A devout Catholic whose wife is close to Opus Dei, Prime Minister Aznar's government is laced with Opus Dei dignitaries.
[...]
http://home.netcom.com/~mjr40/od/guardian.html
--
Colin Brace
Amsterdam