Opus

A thrilling expose recounting how members of Opus Dei – a secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic sect – pushed its radical agenda within the Church and around the globe, using billions of dollars siphoned from one of the world's largest banks.

For over half a century, Banco Popular was one of the most profitable banks in the world – until one day in 2017, when the Spanish bank suddenly collapsed overnight. When investigative journalist Gareth Gore was dispatched to report on the story, he expected to find yet another case of unbridled capitalist ambition gone wrong. Instead, he uncovered decades of deception that hid one of the most brazen cases of corporate pillaging in history, perpetrated by a group of men sworn to celibacy and self-flagellation who had secretly controlled Popular and abused their positions there to help spread Opus Dei to every corner of the world.

Drawing on unparalleled access to bank records, insider accounts, and exclusive interviews with whistleblowers from within Opus Dei, Gore reveals how money from the bank was used to lure unsuspecting recruits – some of them only children – into a life of servitude. He also tracks the ascent of Opus Dei around the globe, exposing its role in bankrolling many right-wing causes, including the US Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.

In an era of disinformation and deep fakes, here is a real-life conspiracy which hid in plain sight for more than sixty years. Gore tells a shocking story of money and power that spans decades and continents. Documenting Opus Dei's secret history for the first time, this thrilling work of investigative storytelling raises important questions about the dark forces that shape our society.

Opus is a genuine expose, a fluid, authoritative account backed up by more than 100 pages of footnotes. It seeks to lift the veil on an organisation whose secrecy – and outward image of piety and impecuniousness – masks, according to Gore, a litany of exploitative practices, opaque money and clandestine political influence operations that have, so far, culminated in the Trumpist takeover of the US Supreme Court ... Gareth Gore has done a great service in putting all this material in the public domain in such a digestible format. – Peter Geoghegan, The Times Literary Supplement

Opus reads like a thriller except that every twist of the plot is backed up with terrifyingly real evidence. In this hard-hitting, groundbreaking investigation, Gore shows that the scandal is much worse than you thought. This is a story about financial corruption, psychological abuse, human exploitation, and above all, a major threat to democracy in the US and around the world. – Katherine Stewart, author of The Power Worshippers

With meticulous investigative research and breathtaking writing, Gareth Gore uncovers the shocking origins of a powerful far-right religious sect that for decades has worked in the shadows to impose its version of conservative Christianity on society. I came away with a fuller picture of the rise of Christian nationalism globally, and a more complete understanding of what's at stake in America's coming election. – Mike Hixenbaugh, author of They Came for the Schools