Pope Leo XIV met privately on Monday with Gareth Gore, a British journalist whose work has drawn scathing criticism of Opus Dei.
Gore said he spoke to Pope for more than 40 minutes and presented him with testimony from alleged victims of the organization.
Gore is the author of the 2024 book “Opus”, which accuses Opus Dei of financial abuse and spiritual and physical abuse against its members.
I am writing on its substack After the March 16 meeting, the journalist said that Pope Leo praised his book as a “rigorous masterpiece.”
Gore also said that he previously thought the Vatican did not want to take seriously allegations of abuse within Opus Dei, but his meeting with Leo “forces me to reevaluate those conclusions.”
The Vatican did not respond to a request for comment on the meeting.
A spokesperson for Opus Dei said the group had no comment on the meeting or Gore’s statement and pointed to the former statements of opus dei About Gore’s book.
Opus Dei has previously condemned Gore’s book is “littered with twisted facts, errors, conspiracy theories, and even outright lies.”
The Pope welcomed the Bishop of Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocariz, into an audience at the Vatican last month.
The February 16 meeting took place as the proposed statutes of the individual prelature – submitted to the Holy See on June 11, 2025 – are under review.
The Opus Dei draft is being examined by the Dicastery for the Clergy following reforms to the rule of personal prelates introduced under Pope Francis.
In the church structure, Opus Dei is an “individual prelature”, which, according to canon law, “consists of presbyters and deacons of the secular clergy” who join together to “carry out special pastoral or missionary tasks”.
The organization was founded in 1928 by Spanish priest Father Josemaría Escriva. Escrivá was canonized in 2002.
