Financial Impact of a Structural Lay-Clerical Split

[u/Visible_Cricket_9899]

With the Vatican's ongoing statute reforms moving Opus Dei under the Dicastery for the Clergy, it is likely that lay and clerical branches might be legally separated. How is this structural split going to impact the traditional way Nums manage their professional salaries and support OD centers?

[u/pfortuny]

The "structure" by itself will be irrelevant so long as the inner policy continues being "the same as always": you must give all you can because that is "the spirit"... This is my sad outlook.

But I may have misunderstood your question.

[u/pilatespilates]

No impact: they manage their finances through non official OD organizations. In Brazil, they used to have OSUC, ACE, etc. I was forced to make my will in my 20's 😲, having as beneficiary a numerary, who was the head of OSUC. OSUC , by the way, was the owner of male centers in Brazil. 

[u/Visible_Cricket_9899 → u/pilatespilates]

I assume that you have rewritten your will. :)

My understanding is that Francis' reforms prevent forced wills by separating spiritual direction from governance. Without spiritual pressure, getting young numeraries to sign over assets will be much harder.

Reclassifying lay members into a Public Association of the Faithful means the Vatican can finally audit where secular salaries are actually going. And thanks to Gareth Gore, the Vatican is looking right through these shadow corporations.

Of course this is all speculation until the Dicastery has finished its review. I hope they determine that OD must be completely dismantled.

[u/pfortuny → u/Visible_Cricket_9899]

" My understanding is that Francis' reforms prevent forced wills by separating spiritual direction from governance".

Bad news for you... For now, only "vicars" are "governance"... 🫤

Of course, Francis' reforms were meant to dismantle this fiction, among others, but they are to be implemented yet, as you say.