It is a story of slavery, of self-flagellation, of psychological torture, of the struggle for freedom. At least that’s what journalist Paula Bistagnino says, whose investigations into the existence of “maids” within Opus Dei led to the opening of an investigation by the Argentine prosecutor’s office which affects at least four former leaders of Opus Dei. . Work in this country. They are accused of human trafficking and labor exploitation – which Opus Dei denies – for using women from modest backgrounds, recruited with promises of education and who ended up as domestic servants. for years, with virtually no pay and no rights.
Bistagnino is the author of I will serve you, the book in which he brings together all his research (published in Argentina, in Spain it can only be purchased in digital format) and which Opus Dei even tried to kidnap to remove it from circulation. The journalist, who had to testify in the trial opened in this country, explains that the book tells the story of “one of the richest families of Opus Dei in South America and the life of a member of this family, and how the members and institutions of Labor benefited from the family fortune and ended up running some companies. And another story, that of the “43”, a group of auxiliary numeraires who denounced Labor to Justice for exploitation only. in Argentina? Bistagnino doubts it: “Opus Dei operates in 68 countries, according to what they themselves declare, and in each of them it has had auxiliary numbers If we consider that the institution functions. like a matrix that repeats the methodologies in all countries, this must have happened in all countries. At least in Latin America and Europe this has happened without a doubt, because I have already collected several testimonies from. former auxiliaries from different countries.”
Argentine justice has accused Opus Dei of trafficking in women and labor exploitation, following an investigation carried out for years. What does this news mean for you?
The day I wrote the news of the accusation, I thought, I hadn’t really imagined this moment would come. Firstly because it’s not something I proposed. As a journalist, my job is to investigate to tell the story, to record what is happening. So I was shocked to see how powerful our work can be. Outside of the personal realm, the possibility of justice generates great expectations in me, because these women deserve it. They deserve to be heard and deserve redress. But that is not in our hands.
I hope that if, as hundreds of people report and as Argentine justice now maintains, Opus Dei committed crimes against people and also economic crimes, as other complaints point out, that this does not don’t go unpunished.
How does this story unfold? What does it mean to find the cases of these 43 women?
I learned about the Opus Dei “maids’ school” when I was a child in the late 1980s, thanks to an aunt who worked there. Then I only knew half the story, because I thought that later they would go to work for others. But it had already had an impact on me. What I didn’t know is what I discovered 30 years later with the research that began when these women came to me, in 2020, to tell me their stories with the desire to bring them to light . I had already published two large articles on Opus Dei. That’s how they found me. More than 40 women gathered to share their stories of abuse and exploitation within the Work. I started listening to them and was shocked by what they told me.
What did these abuses consist of? What was the process of attraction to the Work? Was it possible to get out of there?
Behind the “maids’ school”, which already seemed classist to me, the testimonies said that the institution was only a front for recruiting poor Catholic girls in order to enlist them as servants. The first thing was they were going to look for them in remote and rural places. They told their families they were going, on scholarship, to a Catholic school where they would learn hospitality and find better jobs. Once there, in addition to studies, they had to work and a strict religious routine was imposed on them, under the spiritual guidance of a nunary who, with the priest, began to talk to them about their vocation as an auxiliary nunary.
They were very far from home, often more than a thousand or two thousand kilometers, without contact with their families, who did not even have a telephone line, and they were told that they must obey the will of God, who wanted them at their service in the Work. Otherwise, they and their families could go to hell, get sick and be unhappy. That is until they “beep”. This is where the operating life as auxiliary numeraires began.
Once they wrote the admission letter, the first step in entering Opus Dei, they were separated from the rest of the students in common rooms and given a different routine. There they were also told to forget about the “blood family” and if there was any contact with them, they cut it off. In fulfilling their commitments to chastity, poverty and obedience as digital helpers, they were expected to incorporate the standards of the Plan of Life, which involved strict discipline and a range of daily religious practices, including the use of Self-flagellation elements such as hair. shirt. And they began to work without rest. In many cases, they did not even continue their studies and were sent to what they call a “study center,” or two years of doctrinal training. Everyone still works without rest, hours or pay. They also had no health insurance and could not leave the homes they were in on their own.
All this, and much more, you have captured in a book, I will serve you. A copy that Opus Dei has also criticized, and which even tried to paralyze its distribution.
I imagined that Opus Dei would issue a statement after the book was published, as that is what they usually do. Same with the books they give interviews for. I will serve you It talks about the 43 complainants and also tells the story of a family, one of the richest in Opus Dei in South America, through the life of a member of this family. And he explains how the members and institutions of the Work took advantage of the family fortune and ended up running some of their businesses.
This story includes a legal chapter which is that of the dispute concerning an inheritance. What happened in this case, and what the statement highlights to assert that what the book says is false, is that after the closing of my book, a judicial news appeared about this inheritance of which no one had knowledge and which modifies the fate of a will. . In other words, take advantage of this novelty to talk about false information, without saying that everything in the book is exactly what is documented in the court file and what all the protagonists knew until then, including Opus Dei and his lawyers.
Do you feel persecuted by the Work?
I believe that these statements are part of the way Opus Dei defends itself against the accusations made against its members and, in this sense, I do not attach much importance to them. Yes, I received public attacks from Opus Dei authorities in Argentina who attempted to discredit my work with personal qualifications and minimize what my articles say. I have also received calls and messages on social networks from people from the Work who want to “convince” me that I am being used by people with grudges who hate the Catholic Church. In any case, I don’t feel it as a personal persecution but rather as a defense strategy.
It is important that the Vatican knows them and that the authorities of each country know them, because of the women who suffered from them and because there are still many women within the institution in this category and with these conditions of life.
Are we talking about a scandal limited to Argentina or can we find cases of enslaved women in Opus Dei centers around the world?
It is both remarkable and strange that this only appeared in Argentina. For now. Opus Dei is active in 68 countries, as it declares itself, and in all countries it has had auxiliary numbers. Considering that the institution functions as a matrix that repeats methodologies in all countries, this logically had to happen in all countries. At least in Latin America and Europe this has undoubtedly happened, as I have already collected several testimonies from former auxiliaries from different countries.
Why is it important that other testimonies appear?
It is important that these stories come to light soon because even if there is only one story enough to seek justice, the number is very important because it shows that there was a systematic practice. It is important that the Vatican knows them and that the authorities of each country know them, because of the women who suffered from them and because there are still many within the institution in this category and with these conditions of life, even when we say that in recent years some things have changed.
All this happens in the middle of the process of transformation of the Work, with its established statutes and with credibility problems in different areas. Is there persecution against Opus?
I would not consider the Vatican’s request to modify the statutes as persecution, especially after decades of testimony from former members against the functioning of the organization, who even claim that normative and ideological fraud was committed with these statutes . Regarding what I’m investigating, I believe that no one can consider themselves persecuted when hundreds, even thousands, of people tell them that what they did caused them enormous damage, that in In many cases it has ruined their lives and they need truth and justice.
What future awaits Opus Dei?
I don’t know and I don’t want to speculate. Personally, I don’t intend to. The only thing I hope is that if, as hundreds of people report and as the Argentine justice system now maintains, Opus Dei committed crimes against people and also economic crimes, as other complaints point out, this does not go unpunished. And that this process must take place now, because if time passes, justice will come late. The best way for the Work to protect itself and survive is to assume its responsibility, ask for forgiveness and grant reparation to the victims. Only in this way can I believe he can maintain his credibility and the respect of his faithful and the Catholic Church.
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