May 15, 2006 7:40 pm US/Eastern
Opus Dei In Spotlight Thanks To 'Da Vinci Code'
by Sonni Abatta
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
The film "The Da Vinci Code" opens in theaters on Friday but already it's causing controversy.
Among other things, it's focusing attention on a little known catholic sect -- that some call "cult-like"
KDKA's Sonni Abatta goes behind the shroud to look at the group "Opus Dei."
In the movie, a key character is a member of Opus Dei, which literally translated means "the work of god."
Tammy DiNicola is a former member -- in real life.
"I think it's a force in the church that really needs to be dealt with," she said.
The group, founded in the 1920s by a Spanish priest, was recognized in the 1980s by Pope John Paul II.
Current members say it's a group of ordinary Christians living in an ordinary world who believe that small daily sacrifices can bring them closer to god.
There's nothing ordinary about the controversy about the group, especially after the release of Dan Brown's bestselling book and ahead of the release of the movie.
"What Dan Brown got right was the spelling of Opus Dei and the address of their center in New York. That's it," said Angela Fortunato, a current Opus Dei member.
Fortunato is one of about 30 local Opus Dei members.
"I find it very humorous and even entertaining," she said. "I was reading excerpts to a friend of mine at the airport the other day and saying listen to this! It's so far off. It has nothing to do with the real Opus Dei."
What's causing a lot of the negative attention is some of Opus Dei's practices.
Like corporal mortification -- the practice of hurting yourself to get closer with god by identifying with Christ's suffering.
"It does hurt, and it causes some pricks in your thigh," said DiNicola. "But it's not as bloody as I've seen some of the trailers of the Da Vinci code. This is the discipline that's used in Opus Dei. The numeraries use it once a week -- strike their buttocks with it while they say a prayer."
Tammy quit after a year in the group and has since formed an awareness group about Opus Dei.
Like other critics, she says their problems are multiple including treating women differently.
Those inside Opus Dei disagree.
"Absolutely not," said current Opus Dei member Laura Kossler. "They're treated well. I've never seen them mistreated, poorly paid. I think they're very well taken care of. Equally to men."
The closer the release date for the movie gets, the harder it is for members to keep quiet.
Kathleen O'Beirne says the perception of Opus Dei as a secret society just isn't true.
"I think if people think it's secret, it's just because they haven't met a member," said O'Beirne, a current Opus Dei member.
But for Dianne DiNicola, she saw her daughter Tammy change before her eyes.
"She had a change of personality," she said. "Was once happy-go-lucky, became stilted and nervous, cut off friends, only had Opus Dei friends. There was a breakdown of communication in our family."
But with its critics and supporters, one thing's clear -- "The Da Vinci Code" could be a mixed blessing for the group.
"A lot of people hadn't heard of us before. So now, we're famous. Now when I say I belong to Opus Dei, they don't say, Opus what," said Fortunato.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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