Q: Is Opus Dei really "God's Mafia" or the "Cult of Christ?" A: No. They are a Catholic institution designed to help people grow closer to God.
The Da Vinci Code's portrayal of Opus Dei is one of a religious organization that will stop at nothing to protect the church's darkest secrets. They are referred to as "God's Mafia" and the "Cult of Christ" (Brown, D., 2004, p. 34) and are the adversary to the Priory of Sion, trying to gain control of the very same secret the Priory is bound to protect.
The reality is that Opus Dei is not trying to protect the dark secret that the Priory of Sion holds, because there is no Priory of Sion - see the entry for Priory of Sion for further information.
The exact nature of Opus Dei's practices is difficult to determine. Opus Dei's web site and several others claim them as a Catholic institution whose mission is to help people grow closer to God. Yet, other web sites claim that they do have questionable practices relating to member recruitment and corporal mortification. For more information and articles concerning Opus Dei, see the individual links listed below.
ABC News: Da Vinci Code Fight Brews
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1593342
CBS News: De-Coding Opus Dei
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/08/entertainment/main1383416.shtml
Jesus Decoded: The Real Opus Dei
http://www.jesusdecoded.com/catholicchurch7.php?page=100
National Catholic Reporter: Q & A on Opus Dei
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/pfw121605.htm
Opus Dei Web site: Da Vinci Code page
http://www.opusdei.org/art.php?w=32&p=7017
Opus Dei Awareness Network
http://www.odan.org/index.htm
Wikipedia: Opus Dei
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_dei
References:
Brown, D. (2004). The Da Vinci Code, Special Illustrated Edition. (p. 167). New York, NY: Doubleday.