'Da Vinci Code' puts shadowy Opus Dei in the spotlight

Madrid: The influential but esoteric Catholic organisation Opus Dei that has invited undue interest after its negative portrayal in the best-seller "The Da Vinci Code" has mounted a counter-offensive, using the publicity to promote its ideas. The organisation was thrown into the spotlight by the US author Dan Brown's much-acclaimed book that brought criticism of the Opus Dei into the open, giving the group a devastatingly negative image globally. But the organisation, often depicted as a power-hungry bastion of ultra-conservatism with a reputation for secrecy, is using the unwanted publicity to promote its ideas. [More]