Opus Dei: 15 Minutes of Fame

Commentary on the media hype accompanying The Da Vinci Code and the spotlight it has shined on the Catholic sub-sect Opus Dei.

The upcoming release of the film version of the bestselling novel "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown has suddenly thrust the somewhat obscure Opus Dei group into the spotlight.

Opus Dei, a relatively small and socially conservative movement within Roman Catholicism has been the subject of controversy before, however. Ex-members have surfaced for interviews from time to time accusing the group of the usual charades levied along with the four letter c-word: cult. I'll admit that I find it somewhat humorous that they have been accused of -gasp!- requiring adherents to "[drink]coffee without milk or sugar".

The bottom line regarding the media hype is that no matter what the possible historical relevancy of the plot, author Dan Brown makes no claims to the truth of his fictional novel. Until he claims otherwise, any fingers wagged at Opus Dei remain merely hype (and successful hype, at that- this story is all over the news!), and should be wagged at the church as a whole, not the convenient scapegoat of Opus Dei.

While I'm not exactly holding my breath, it will be interesting to see what real-life investigations, accusations or schemes this film will stir up in the future in our religiously tense nation.