{"id":55145,"date":"2025-08-29T03:19:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T03:19:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/?p=55145"},"modified":"2025-08-29T03:19:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T03:19:52","slug":"auxiliary-vicar-of-opus-dei-charged-with-human-trafficking-and-labor-exploitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/auxiliary-vicar-of-opus-dei-charged-with-human-trafficking-and-labor-exploitation\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0412\u0441\u043f\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0433\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0432\u0438\u043a\u0430\u0440\u0438\u0439 Opus Dei \u043e\u0431\u0432\u0438\u043d\u0435\u043d \u0432 \u0442\u043e\u0440\u0433\u043e\u0432\u043b\u0435 \u043b\u044e\u0434\u044c\u043c\u0438 \u0438 \u0442\u0440\u0443\u0434\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439 \u044d\u043a\u0441\u043f\u043b\u0443\u0430\u0442\u0430\u0446\u0438\u0438"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n Monsignor Mariano Fazio is auxiliary vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei. \/ Credit: Opus Dei<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jul 6, 2025 \/ 07:00 am (CNA).<\/p>\n

The Argentine justice system has added the auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei, the organization\u2019s second in command, Monsignor Mariano Fazio, as a defendant in the case involving the alleged human trafficking and the reduction to servitude of 43 women in Argentina.<\/p>\n

The case, which was formally filed in 2024<\/a> but had been reported in the media <\/a>several years earlier, accuses Opus Dei authorities of allegedly recruiting 43 women while they were still minors and subjecting them to a regime of semi-slavery in their residences.<\/p>\n

Until now, the defendants were four priests who served as authorities at different times between 1991 and 2015: Carlos Nannei, Patricio Olmos, and V\u00edctor Urrestarazu, former vicars of Opus Dei in Argentina, and the former director of the women\u2019s branch in the country, Gabriel Dondo.<\/p>\n

The case now includes another defendant: Fazio, currently auxiliary vicar of the Prelature of the Holy Cross, the second-highest authority in Opus Dei worldwide. <\/p>\n

The Argentine Prosecutor\u2019s Office Against Human Trafficking and the National Prosecutor\u2019s Office in Criminal and Federal Correctional Affairs No. 3 are requesting that he appear to testify.<\/p>\n

The accusation<\/h2>\n

Although the complaint states that at least 43 women were recruited by Opus Dei as minors, deceived with promises of an education and a home, and then forced to work for free as domestic workers for years, the document only focuses on the case of one of them.<\/p>\n

The prosecutor\u2019s office maintains that Opus Dei presented \u201ca false proposal\u201d and that the only education these women received was to perform domestic tasks \u201cwithout pay\u201d and in violation of their rights.<\/p>\n

The accusation also refers to a system of \u201cindoctrination and psychological manipulation\u201d with \u201crules of life,\u201d including the obligation to chastity, the severance of family and social ties, periodic health checkups, and the provision of psychiatric medication, which they had to comply with under threat of punishment.<\/p>\n

The case is based on the testimony of a Bolivian woman who worked for Opus Dei for 30 years. In April, the woman expanded her statement, claiming to have directly served Fazio, among other priests.<\/p>\n

Response by Opus Dei <\/h2>\n

Upon the announcement of this new charge, reported by the Spanish newspaper Eldiario<\/a>, the Opus Dei communications office in Argentina issued a \u0437\u0430\u044f\u0432\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0438<\/a> clarifying that the judicial investigation concerns \u201cthe personal situation of a woman\u201d during her time in Opus Dei and \u201ccategorically\u201d denies the accusation of human trafficking and labor exploitation.<\/p>\n

Opus Dei expressed surprise at seeing that \u201cthe claim [that] initially began in the media as a complaint about inconsistencies in pension and employment contributions\u201d has subsequently \u201cmorphed into a civil claim for financial harm and damages\u201d as well as most recently an \u201caccusation from a person claiming to have been a victim of \u2018human trafficking.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The complaint, Opus Dei maintains, stems from \u201ca complete decontextualization\u201d of the freely chosen vocation of the assistant numeraries.<\/p>\n

The statement goes on to defend the right of the people mentioned in the complaint to defend themselves and \u201cbe allowed to present their version of events for the first time, in order to definitively clarify this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those leveling the accusation, Opus Dei emphasized, \u201chave systematically attempted to instill in the media a narrative of automatic guilt\u201d that violates the presumption of innocence.<\/p>\n

The organization maintains that the woman making the complaint \u201cis referring to a stage in her life when she freely chose to embark on her spiritual journey in the Catholic Church\u201d as an assistant numerary.<\/p>\n

A life choice<\/h2>\n

\u041a\u0430\u0442\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0446\u0435\u0440\u043a\u043e\u0432\u044c assistant numeraries<\/a>, the statement explains, \u201care women of Opus Dei who, like all other members, aspire to love God and others and demonstrate this through their work and their daily lives,\u201d work that in this case consists of caring for people who live in the centers.<\/p>\n

The statement indicates that joining the apostolate is a life choice that involves an explicit, repeated, and often written desire, while \u201cthere is no barrier\u201d to leaving.<\/p>\n

The statement also maintains that the \u201cliving situation and mistreatment\u201d raised in the complaint is false, since in addition to receiving pay and having private health insurance, the homes where the numerary assistants reside provide \u201ca welcoming environment with facilities for rest, recreation, reading, and study.\u201d<\/p>\n

The prelature once again affirmed its \u201ccommitment to fully cooperate with the justice system to determine the facts and resolve the situation in a fair and transparent manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who is Monsignor Mariano Fazio?<\/h2>\n

Fazio was born in Buenos Aires on April 25, 1960. He holds a degree in history from the University of Buenos Aires and a doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.<\/p>\n

Ordained a priest in 1991 by Pope John Paul II, he served as the first dean of the institutional communications department at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome from 1996 to 2002, and from 2002 to 2008 served as rector of that university.<\/p>\n

During the same period, he was elected president of the Conference of Rectors of the Pontifical Roman Catholic Universities.<\/p>\n

Fazio was an expert at the fifth general conference of the episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean (Aparecida, Brazil), where he met then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio.<\/p>\n

He served as vicar of Opus Dei in Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia. In December 2014, he was appointed vicar general of Opus Dei by the then-prelate, Bishop Javier Echevarr\u00eda, a position he held until January 2017 when the Pope Francis appointed Monsignor Fernando Oc\u00e1riz as prelate of Opus Dei.<\/p>\n

He has served as auxiliary vicar since May 14, 2019.<\/p>\n

In May, Oc\u00e1riz and Fazio met with Pope Leo XIV<\/a> to share the current situation of the apostolate after Pope Francis requested that the statutes be modified.<\/a><\/p>\n

Regarding the meeting, the prelate of Opus Dei stated that \u201cit was a fatherly gesture, during which the pope expressed his closeness and affection.\u201d <\/p>\n

Regarding the process of modifying the statutes, he reflected: \u201cThe changes we are experiencing \u2014 including in the process of adjusting the statutes \u2014 are an impetus to safeguard what is essential.\u201d He added that Opus Dei \u201cis called to change in fidelity to its charism.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a three-year journey, on June 11, Opus Dei presented the proposal for its new statutes<\/a> to the Holy See.<\/p>\n

\u042d\u0442\u0430 \u0441\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c\u044f <\/em>\u0431\u044b\u043b\u0430 \u0432\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u043e\u043f\u0443\u0431\u043b\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0430<\/em><\/a> \u043e\u0442 ACI Prensa, \u0438\u0441\u043f\u0430\u043d\u043e\u044f\u0437\u044b\u0447\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e \u043d\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e \u043f\u0430\u0440\u0442\u043d\u0435\u0440\u0430 CNA. \u041f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0432\u0435\u0434\u0435\u043d\u043e \u0438 \u0430\u0434\u0430\u043f\u0442\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u043e CNA.<\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/265189\/auxiliary-vicar-of-opus-dei-charged-with-human-trafficking-and-labor-exploitation<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monsignor Mariano Fazio is auxiliary vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei. \/ Credit: Opus Dei Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jul 6, 2025 \/ 07:00 am (CNA). The Argentine justice system has added the auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei, the organization\u2019s second in command, Monsignor Mariano Fazio, as a defendant in the case involving the alleged [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":62145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-55145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-news"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Auxiliary-vicar-of-Opus-Dei-charged-with-human-trafficking-and-labor-exploitation.webp?fit=668%2C445&quality=75&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":78188,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/pope-leo-xiv-tells-opus-dei-no-decision-yet-on-revised-statutes\/","url_meta":{"origin":55145,"position":0},"title":"Pope Leo XIV tells Opus Dei no decision yet on revised statutes","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"23 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0430, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pope Leo XIV told the prelate of Opus Dei on Feb. 16 that \u201cthe process of updating Opus Dei\u2019s statutes continues in its study phase and that no publication date can yet be foreseen,\u201d according to a statement from the prelature.The pope received Opus Dei\u2019s prelate, Monsignor Fernando Oc\u00e1riz, in\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34467,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/opus-dei-postpones-adoption-of-new-statutes\/","url_meta":{"origin":55145,"position":1},"title":"Opus Dei postpones adoption of new statutes","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"24 \u0430\u043f\u0440\u0435\u043b\u044f, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"[ad_1] Monsignor Fernando Oc\u00c3\u00a1riz, prelate of Opus Dei, in Rome. \/ Credit: Courtesy of Opus Dei\/Flickr Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 24, 2025 \/ 11:30 am (CNA). The Catholic personal prelature Opus Dei has significantly reduced the scope of its two-week general congress that began this week due to the death\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/prelado.april_.2025.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/prelado.april_.2025.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/prelado.april_.2025.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/prelado.april_.2025.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/prelado.april_.2025.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50005,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/opus-dei-presents-proposal-for-new-statutes-to-the-holy-see\/","url_meta":{"origin":55145,"position":2},"title":"Opus Dei presents proposal for new statutes to the Holy See","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"26 \u0438\u044e\u043d\u044f, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The prelate of Opus Dei with Pope Leo XIV. \/ Credit: Vatican Media Vatican City, Jun 11, 2025 \/ 16:41 pm (CNA). Opus Dei presented its proposed statutes to the Holy See on June 11 following the guidelines from the Vatican in the 2022 motu proprio Ad Charisma Tuendum as\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Opus Dei presents proposal for new statutes to the Holy See","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Opus-Dei-presents-proposal-for-new-statutes-to-the-Holy-See.webp?fit=669%2C406&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Opus-Dei-presents-proposal-for-new-statutes-to-the-Holy-See.webp?fit=669%2C406&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Opus-Dei-presents-proposal-for-new-statutes-to-the-Holy-See.webp?fit=669%2C406&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6112,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/peru-cardinal-celebrates-36-years-as-a-bishop-thanks-opus-dei-founder-john-paul-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":55145,"position":3},"title":"Peru cardinal celebrates 36 years as a bishop, thanks Opus Dei founder, John Paul II","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"6 \u0438\u044e\u043b\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"[ad_1] Source Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani is archbishop emeritus of Lima, Per\u00c3\u00ba. \/ Credit: Daniel Ib\u00c3\u00a1\u00c3\u00b1ez\/EWTN News ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 6, 2024 \/ 08:00 am (CNA). Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, archbishop emeritus of Lima, Peru, is celebrating 36 years as a bishop and on the occasion has expressed his\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1720271872_cipriani.png?fit=1200%2C795&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1720271872_cipriani.png?fit=1200%2C795&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1720271872_cipriani.png?fit=1200%2C795&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1720271872_cipriani.png?fit=1200%2C795&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1720271872_cipriani.png?fit=1200%2C795&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5014,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/opus-dei-updates-outreach-to-young-people-with-new-website-youth\/","url_meta":{"origin":55145,"position":4},"title":"Opus Dei updates outreach to young people with new website: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYouth\u2019","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"9 \u0438\u044e\u043d\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"[ad_1] Source null \/ Credit: Dmitry Molchanov\/Shutterstock ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 7, 2024 \/ 06:40 am (CNA). 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Pope Francis has appointed the dean of the Roman Rota Tribunal, Archbishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo, as pontifical commissioner to address the conflict between Opus Dei and the Diocese\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/torreciudad-procesion-2309012.jpg?fit=670%2C447&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/torreciudad-procesion-2309012.jpg?fit=670%2C447&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/torreciudad-procesion-2309012.jpg?fit=670%2C447&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"mfb_rest_fields":["title","jetpack_publicize_connections","jetpack_featured_media_url","jetpack-related-posts","jetpack_sharing_enabled"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55145"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=55145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}