Opus Dei noted that it does not complain of any labor exploitation

Seven of these women “served God” in Rosario. One of them, Claudia Carrero, spoke to this newspaper and told a wonderful story of deprivation, discrimination and forced labor. Buenos Aires lawyer representing the entire group, Sebastián Sal, addressed a note to Pope Francis in early March, calling for recognition of the error, compensation for victims and an end to the practice . The answer has not yet come.

<< Opus Dei: a test with cheap labor in Rosario

From “Labor”, as the organization is also known, they responded in a statement that in September 2020, they had indeed received a presentation from a lawyer regarding the pension situation of women who had been members of Opus, during the years in which they had exercised a professional activity. services for apostolic initiatives promoted by the prelature. “The scarce information provided by the lawyer was not sufficient to analyze the pension situation in each case.“, They alleged.

They also argued that “the cases could be very different from each other, however, despite the lack of legal proceedings, having been made available on several occasions and having expressed their openness to listen and understand the arguments and details. of the filed application, To date, the lawyer has not officially introduced himself or provided more information.“.

During this time, they made it clear that “Although there have been negative personal experiences, it has always been acted in accordance with current legislation and with the real aim of promoting human and social development of people.“And they ratified” the disposition that we had from the beginning to take care of each one in order to know his particular situation and to answer for what corresponds to Justice, open also to living solidarity in case of need “.

Family atmosphere

Concerning the auxiliary numbers, the communication office of the prelature reported that they are members of the institution which “like the other faithful, they are committed to seeking the fullness of the Christian life through professional work, life. family and social, at the service of others. and to society as a concrete path within the Catholic Church ”. Regarding the work they do, they detailed that it includes “caring for people and creating a family environment for the apostolic work of Opus Dei and other education and assistance initiatives”.

They also recognized that in the Church “there has been learning about the age at which the professional journey can begin“And that for this reason, the statutes now fix at 18 years the minimum age to join the structure, and there must be a parental authorization to participate in the preliminary preparatory bodies.

Finally, they admitted that “as in any vocational path, in Opus Dei there are people who, for various circumstances, have moved away from the institution” and that in these experiences “there are positive experiences and there are also negative experiences that hurt us deeply. “In that sense, They ended up asking forgiveness “from those people who were in contact with or were part of Opus Dei and we did not know how to accompany and assist them with the generosity and affection they needed”.

A woman shared her positive experience

After the emergence of complaints of labor exploitation that 43 women filed against Opus Dei, The testimony of Noelia Rébora also transcended, who was the organization’s digital assistant and today she is married and teaches gastronomy classes at an institute. The woman gave a positive assessment of her experience, which in no way negates that of the complainants.

“It was at Opus Dei that they taught me to value people, not to judge them, to love them,” recalled the woman, who said she started teaching when she was still member, but that she was already in crisis with her vocation. “It was other people from the Work who encouraged me to try outside,” he said in a letter, explaining that he had spent two years debating until his departure.

The woman thanked the education received at ICES (Training Institute for Service Businesses, one of the aforementioned institutions), which she arrived at at the age of 12. “It was a great joy for me to study. Getting out of town was a major achievement. Those of us who had no money, we had no choice“, Did he declare. He assured that at school they had “a first class education, we ate very well and we had sports options”.

Noelia left the establishment in 2010, at the age of 48, because “she was not satisfied”, after having lived in seven different houses. She says that the experience acquired “both in gastronomy and in teaching in vocational training centers” has helped her to rebuild her life. “My classmates I contact are grateful. They have formed families, they are women who have made progress. They will not have gotten rich, but they are hardworking, honest people who are part of the health of society.», He stressed.