Opus Dei in Argentina denies accusations of human trafficking and labor exploitation

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct 2, 2024 / 17:15 pm

The Prelature of Opus Dei in Argentina has “categorically denied the accusations of human trafficking and labor exploitation” made by a group of women that was made public in recent days due to a requested court inquiry of several priests who served as vicars for Opus Dei in that country between 1991 and 2015.

The Argentine Public Prosecutor has asked a judge to approve the inquiry of the former vicars for the alleged crime of human trafficking and labor exploitation based on a complaint filed two years ago by 44 women who claimed to have been recruited by the Catholic organization when they were minors and subjected to a regime of semi-slavery in Opus Dei’s homes, according to the Argentine newspaper Clarín.

The priests charged in this investigation, which is being conducted by prosecutor Eduardo Taiano, are Father Carlos Nannei, Father Patricio Olmos, and Father Víctor Urrestarazu, former vicars of Opus Dei in Argentina, and the former director of the women’s branch of the organization in the country, Gabriel Dondo.

According to Clarín, the complaint also requested that Father Mariano Fazio be included, who does not appear in the accusation but was the superior in Argentina between 2010 and 2014 and currently resides in Rome and is the vicar general of Opus Dei.

The investigation began in 2022 and was initiated by the Prosecutor’s Office against Human Trafficking in Argentina. The following year, a complaint was filed with the federal court by that office. It is in this context that now, the National Criminal and Correctional Federal Prosecutor’s Office No. 3, headed by Taiano, requested that the accused priests be summoned for questioning.

Categorical denial

In a Sept. 28 statement on the official Opus Dei website, the organization “categorically denied” the accusations. “We are saddened and surprised that, having initiated the claim for inconsistencies in pension and salary while they were part of Opus Dei, the accusation — as reported by the media — now refers to a person who claims to be a victim of ‘human trafficking’ and ‘labor exploitation,’” the statement indicates. 

The Catholic organization believes that “in order to formulate this complaint, a complete decontextualization of the formation received by some of the women in the group and the vocation freely chosen by the numerary auxiliaries of Opus Dei is being done.” The apostolate therefore stated that “this is a totally false accusation.”

“The women’s testimonies mix up different stages of their lives as if they were one and the same, which obviously creates confusion,” the statement notes, mentioning on the one hand the training they received at ICES [Spanish acronym for Training Institute for Service Companies], a nonprofit initiative inspired by the values ​​of Opus Dei; and on the other, a second stage of their lives in which “they freely chose to be members of Opus Dei, following a spiritual vocation within the Catholic Church as assistant numeraries.”

The assistant numeraries, the statement explained, “are women of Opus Dei who, like all other members, aspire to love God and others and demonstrate this through their work and their daily lives.”

“The work chosen by the assistant numeraries is to care for the people and the homes in which they live, within a family atmosphere that Opus Dei seeks to provide. Both the Catholic Church and the Argentine state have recognized and approved the statutes of Opus Dei, and with them, this specific way of living the vocation in particular,” the organization stated.

This choice of life, the statement further noted, requires “expressing their desire explicitly, on multiple occasions and in writing.”

“Although the prelature has not yet had access to the content of the complaint, the accusations, according to the article, describe a financially tenuous situation and mistreatment that is also false,” the statement added.

“In addition to receiving, like any other citizen, a salary for their work and having private social security, as in all Opus Dei centers, efforts are made to ensure that the houses where they live have a welcoming environment and facilities for rest, recreation, reading, and study,” the communiqué explained.

“In addition, they have additional resources to their salaries available for travel to visit their families or to help their families financially if they need it; they are given the opportunity to participate in personal development programs, also with international experiences; to mention just a few circumstances,” the statement continues.

Regarding this conflict, the apostolate stated that from the beginning, the prelature’s main interest was “to listen and establish a channel for dialogue that would allow us to understand each experience.”

Therefore, “although it is painful to end up in this kind of a judicial process, we believe that after more than three years of similar accusations made only in the media, an investigation is necessary to definitively clarify the situation,” Opus Dei commented.

“At the same time, we reaffirm our commitment to fully collaborate with the justice system to clarify the facts and resolve the situation in a fair and transparent manner,” the organization concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.