July 3rd, The Tablet

The appeal came just a week after reports of an imminent resolution to the dispute between the Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón and Opus Dei over the Torreciudad complex / By MICHAEL TANGEMAN.

The Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón in northern Spain called on the Vatican to assume control of Opus Dei’s Torreciudad complex, which lies within the diocesan boundaries, and to conduct a full audit of its financial accounts “as well as those of the societies and foundations related to the complex”.

In a statement published on 1 July, the diocese proposed that the Vatican elevate the canonical status of the massive Marian shrine complex from its current designation as a semi-public oratory or chapel to that of an international sanctuary, which under canon law would be regulated directly by the Vatican.

By doing so, the statement said, the Holy See would become the “competent authority” governing all matters related to Torreciudad, which it said might then be designated as an “international property” of the Vatican.

“As a dependent of the Holy See, the Holy See [would] audit and approve its accounts, as well as those of the societies and foundations related to the complex,” it said.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE at The Tablet … online here.

May 17th, The Tablet

Among the unresolved issues Pope Leo XIV has inherited from Pope Francis are several thorny questions involving the influential Catholic movement founded in Spain in 1928 by Fr Josemaria Escriva / By MICHAEL TANGEMAN

TORRECIUDAD, Spain – Remnant clouds gave way to a bright Spanish sun and dazzling blue sky, the snowcapped Pyrenees standing picture- perfect in the distance as worshippers arrived for Mass on the first Sunday of May at the Marian sanctuary of Torreciudad, built and run here for 50 years by Opus Dei in the northern Spanish province of Huesca.

But while warm weather and clear skies surrounded this towering brick complex with a mood of serenity, clouds were gathering some 800 miles away at the Vatican, where 133 cardinals from around the globe were assembling to select a successor to Pope Francis. Opus Dei members were praying for a providential outcome. But the unexpected choice of Cardinal Robert Prevost – a US born and Peruvian-nationalised bishop, friend and colleague of Pope Francis, who as the new pontiff has taken the name of Leo XIV – may not have been to the satisfaction of all their leaders.

They know that Leo XIV will be seeing in his papal inbox a number of thorny issues involving Opus Dei and matters of canon law and jurisdictional authority. The new pope seems well prepared. Leo XIV is not only a canon lawyer – he has a doctorate in canon law from Rome’s Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas – but he served for more than a dozen years as prior general of the Augustinian religious order, giving him ample experience in the administration of religious institutions not dissimilar to Opus Dei. Not the least of these issues is the dispute between the Spanish diocese of Barbastro-Monzn and Opus Dei over who has jurisdiction for the sanctuary and the image of Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad, a carved statuette of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child venerated here by the faithful since the eleventh century.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE at The Tablet … in PDF here or online here.

Apr 11th, Independent Catholic News

EL PASO, Texas – Just days into the second term of US President Donald Trump, millions of Americans watched live as his administration went on the attack against the country’s Catholic hierarchy over its objections to Trump’s plan for mass deportations of immigrants and refugees, legal and illegal alike.

While apparently directed at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the individual who lies squarely in the crosshairs of the administration’s attack plan is Bishop of El Paso Mark J Seitz, the elected chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration and Refugees.

It was Bishop Seitz, two days after Trump signed a flurry of executive orders overriding existing laws and federal government policies on immigration, who issued a response on behalf of the USCBB saying the orders appeared “specifically intended to eviscerate humanitarian protections enshrined in federal law and undermine due process, subjecting vulnerable families and children to grave danger.”

The next day, Seitz led the heads of the Catholic Health Association of the United States and Catholic Charities USA in criticizing Trump’s rescinding of the government’s long-standing guidance for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to refrain from conducting raids and making arrests in schools, places of worship, hospitals and other sensitive locations.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE at Independent Catholic News …