Science and Technology

How a Mysterious Right-Wing Catholic Group Conquered D.C.

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The last time many of us had thought much about Opus Dei was probably while watching The Da Vinci Code — if you recall, the albino assassin-monk Silas (played by Paul Bettany) was a part it, depicted in the film as a self-flagellating cult. But the group really exists and in fact does have (admittedly less colorful) cultlike aspects to it. It was founded nearly a century ago during a politically tumultuous period in Spain that ultimately resulted in decades of right-wing dictatorship and has promoted an alliance of conservative theology and politics both within the Catholic Church and among the ruling classes ever since. Including, as Nina Burleigh reports today, some of the most well-funded hard-right circles of Washington, D.C., from the Roe-wrecking Trump Supreme Court to the Catholic convert J.D. Vance to the people who brought us Project 2025. It’s been a 30-years war for the soul of the country. As Gareth Gore, author of an upcoming book about the history of Opus Dei, tells Nina, “When I first started writing the book, I became obsessed with establishing who is a member. I decided to give up on that. It is a rabbit hole down which you will be hunting forever.” What he found is that “under every stone, you find a whole ecosystem of Opus Dei affiliates.”

—Carl Swanson, editor-at-large, New York 

How Opus Dei Conquered D.C. A new book shows just how much sway the mysterious right-wing Catholic group has — and might have over Trump’s next term.

Photo-Illustration: Adam Maida. Photo: Getty Images.
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