Opus Dei Starts Blog to Improve Image

Posted on February 25, 2006

The Roman Catholic Group Opus Dei has started a blog to challenge the evil image of them portrayed in Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code.

Brian Finnerty, a spokesman for Opus Dei, told the AP, "The unfortunate thing is there are going to be tens of millions of people who will read the novel and see the movie and have that be their only exposure to Opus Dei. Because the book is marketed as being in some ways factual, it's difficult for people to tell where the lines between fact and fiction are."

The blog is written by Fr. John Wauck, a priest of the Opus Dei Prelature. In one post Fr. John Wauck says that a real cilice is not as painful as the one in the book.

In reality, the cilice (pronounced "sillis") is a small metal chain with sharp points facing inward. No leather, no belt, no notches. Of course, it's uncomfortable (this is penance, after all), but it shouldn't cut the flesh or cause bleeding. The version used by members of Opus Dei is worn around the thigh, and the custom within Opus Dei is to wear it two hours a day -- except on Sundays, feast days, and certain times of the year.

The Da Vinci Code is due in theaters May 19th, 2006 and stars Tom Hanks as Harvard Professor Robert Langdon. The Opus Dei group will also have to deal with the possibility of millions of new readers of the novel as a paperback edition of the book will be released on March, 28th, 2006.

Note: The Opus Dei Da Vinci Code blog is no longer live.

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