Father Dr Stefan Moszoro-Dąbrowski was born in 1957 in Rosario, Argentina, in a Polish-Armenian family. He was the Regional Vicar for Opus Dei in Poland in 1989-1999 and again in 2013-2023. Since May 2023 he has been the Regional Vicar for North-Eastern Europe (including Poland).
Opus Dei (formally: the "Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei" (Latin: Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei) was founded by Catholic priest Josemaría Escrivá in 1928 and granted church approval in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.
It has caused controversy within the Church itself due to its egalitarian principle that everyone can aspire to holiness and family and professional life are not a bar to sanctity. The perception that it is excessively "hierarchical" has also caused controversy.
John Paul II made Opus Dei a "personal prelature" in 1982, an act that was perceived to have increased the authority of the institution as "answering directly to the Vatican".
Pope Francis , however, issued the apostolic letter Ad charisma tuendum, moving responsibility for Opus Dei from the Dicastery for Bishops to the Dicastery for the Clergy. This change was perceived as a "shake up" but Opus Dei Prelate Fernando Ocariz publicly denied that it amounted to a "downgrade".
Father Moszoro-Dąbrowski began the interview with the Polish Press Agency (PAP) by clarifying the aims of Opus Dei: "The goal of Opus Dei is to realise the Gospel in everyday life. It is complementary to other Church institutions."
When asked about the negative, "even demonic" image of Opus Dei in the media and popular culture, as well as its perceived conflict with Pope Francis, Father Moszoro-Dąbrowski responded that this situation is the result of the attitude of the media in general - not just traditionally anti-clerical media:
"The media... needs sensational and shocking news. Something always needs to be "happening", otherwise the reader or viewer will lose interest... A great soundbite might be created when a politician sends his children to a school connected to Opus Dei, for example."
In 2009, there was a small media storm in Poland, when it was publicised that Radosław Sikorski - then Foreign Minister - sent his children to the "Sternik" school, closely tied to Opus Dei.
The left-leaning portal oko.press published a diagram showing the links between the school and prominent public figures, implying that Opus Dei held "the strings of power" in this way:
Another, this time global, controversy referred to in the PAP interview is the portrayal of Opus Dei in the book and film "The Da Vinci Code". In the words of ABC, "Dan Brown depicts Opus Dei as a dangerous, power-hungry organization under the auspices of the Catholic Church."
One accusation in the book and film is that Opus Dei members practice "sadomasochistic" self-mortification - attaching sharp belts to themselves or worse. Opus Dei members have responded that this is media sensationalism. In the UK, one Opus Dei member Sarah Cassidy admitted that she practices mortification of the body with an uncomfortable belt ("cilice") but that it is not at all dangerous and does not draw blood.
Sources: PAP, Dziennik.pl, oko.press, Daily Mail, Twitter, opusdei.org
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