“Respect for its members’ freedom is an essential condition of Opus Dei’s very existence.” This statement by the founder, St Josemaría Escrivá, is the key to the answer to many questions about the Prelature.
Questions such as: Does Opus Dei take a position in public debates within the Church or in politics? Do the members act as a group in social life? Do the directors of the Prelature give them advice as to how to vote, or indications to support a particular ideology or ecclesiastical current of thought?
The great stress on freedom which is an essential element of the message of Opus Dei yields a round “no” to these questions. As St Josemaría expressed it, “Without that freedom, no one would come to the Work. Even more, the Work has never intervened in politics and, with God's help it never will; but if it were to, I would be its number one enemy.”
This issue of Documentation (click on the ‘pdf’ attachment above) deals with various aspects of freedom in relation to Opus Dei. A knowledge of these aspects can assist greatly in understanding the spirit of the Prelature.
