Opus Dei: The Santa Mafia’s Child Trafficking Origins
I explore Opus Dei’s dark origins during Francoist era Spain and their ties to Operation Gladio.
We tend to think the 1983 dystopian book The Handmaiden’s Tale by Margaret Atwood could never happen here in the United States. For the most part, I do think that’s true due to Anglo American culture, but our Opus Dei aligned justices on the Supreme Court increase that risk. Atwood's novel could have been set during the Francoist era in Spain without needing any changes to the plotline.
Arthur Bloom wrote an excellent piece on Opus Dei during Caudillo Francisco Franco’s rule. So, a little warning that I’m going to delve deeper into the dark history behind it and their ties to white terror and systemic sexual violence against republican women.
*Historical Note: Franco deemed regular liberals, or anyone who opposed his iron fist rule as “communists.” The Spanish Republicans did ally with the Soviets just like the US and UK during WWII. Were some of the Spanish communists? Absolutely, but it wasn’t the majority.
I also explore the Opus Dei and Chabad ties to separatist Carles Puigdemont that I missed in my original article on Catalonia.
Opus Dei’s Dark Origins
Sexual violence was weaponized by Francisco Franco and his Falangist Catholic party during the Spanish civil war from 1936-1939. Rape was used as a means of retaliation not only against republican women but also their male family members as a way repress political dissent. The Spanish Church not only approved of the ‘white terror’ employed but even participated in it. In 1937, four months after the Collective Letter of the Spanish Bishops was signed, the bishops issued a second letter where they justified the extermination of republicans and testified that this was an existing policy.
Opus Dei Trafficking Republican Children
Josemaría Escrivá—who founded Opus Dei—was active in bolstering Franco’s dictatorship. The technocrats associated with the 1960s "Spanish miracle" were Opus Dei numeraries: Alberto Ullastres, Mariano Navarro Rubio, Gregorio López-Bravo, Laureano López Rodó, Juan José Espinosa, and Faustino García-Moncó.
The Catholic order’s human trafficking started with church-controlled hospitals, social services, and the Women’s Protection Board due to Escriva’s close ties to the Caudillo himself. Republican women and girls in Francoist prisons—run by Opus Dei—were systematically raped by prison guards and clergy members, then sold the babies off to regime loyalists.
The Board not only had a history of child trafficking, but also abuse, torture, and various human rights violations.
Opus Dei’s power started to wane after the deaths of both Escriva and Franco in 1975. Spain started to transition to a democracy in 1978.
How Opus Dei got into Bed with the Mafia and CIA in 1971
According to Paul L. Williams book Operation Gladio, Opus Dei became involved with the Vatican bank and Mormons drug trafficking money laundering in 1971 during Gladio and Operation Condor.
Operation Gladio was the codename for clandestine "stay-behind" armed resistance units that were originally organized by the Western Union (later by NATO and the CIA) after WWII to prevent the spread of communism. The “stay behind” armies became linked to right-wing terrorism, crime and attempted coups d'états.
Gladio grew out of the Office of Naval Intelligence’s ties to the Italian and Jewish American mob aiding the Navy during the Allied invasion of Italy (Operation Husky) and watching U.S. ports for German U-boats (Operation Underworld).
During Operation Condor, the United States along with Venezuela and Colombia overthrew left wing governments in South America in order to install right wing dictatorships. It’s not a coincidence Klaus Barbie—a Nazi—was working for the U.S. after WWII while drug trafficking with Pablo Escobar and Medellin Cartel. In 1981, Operation Gladio was exposed in the media and just two years later Operation Condor was shut down.
Opus Dei Ties to the CIA and the Mormons
The chairman of Continental Illinois bank in Chicago and “devout” Mormon David M. Kennedy partnered with Michele Sindona—a banker for the Sicilian Mafia and Vatican—to launder drug money for black CIA operations and fund Silicon Valley. Continental Illinois also owned shares in Banco Atlántico in Barcelona—an Opus Dei bank. Another bank linked to the order, Banco Popular Español, was shut down in 2017 and had ties to Russia money laundering.
Operation Gladio’s Limited Hangout
Williams’ book omits quite a bit of background information of the drug war by Communist China and the Soviet Union. Yes, the CIA was using illicit drug proceeds to fund black operations.
During the Vietnam war, China funneled heroin to the Viet Cong to covertly lace American GI’s cigarettes and marijuana just like the Mexican cartels did with fentanyl. In the mid-1990s, Ludwig Feinberg from the Odessa Mafia attempted to purchase a Soviet diesel submarine for the Cali Cartel. The ‘Drug War’ is a form of chemical warfare.
It’s the same thing with the MK Ultra program. The CIA weren’t the only ones experimenting with drugs and mind control. It doesn’t make what the CIA did right, but I want to provide proper context.
Omitted Israel’s Ties to Gladio
James Jesus Angleton worked both the Vatican and Israel desk in the CIA during Gladio. Meyer Lansky armed Israel from the Teamsters’ pension fund through Morris Shenker in St. Louis, Missouri.
In order for people to understand events today, it’s vital they learn about Rudy Giuliani taking out the 5 Families of the Italian American mafia. Giuliani created a power vacuum for the Russian mafia to fill. Foreign adversaries like to co-opt organized crime for their own purposes.
I’ve already covered The Mormon Mafia in a previous Substack article that ties into Las Vegas, the Mexican Cartels, the Likud Mafia, and the NXIVM sex trafficking cult.
It’s important for people to understand there are different factions in the United States’ intelligence community. An excellent book The Yankee and Cowboy War (1976) by Carl Oglesby explains the war between the Eastern Establishment and the new money oil barons from the South which culminated in the JFK assassination. Even today, we have the Atlanticists vs. Protectionists.
Opus Dei Member Carles Puigdemont Meets with Chabad in Catalonia
My research on Catalonia separatists back in December was missing the Opus Dei and Chabad connections to separatist Carles Puigdemont and his Romanian wife Marcela Topor.
In 2014, when Puigdemont was still mayor, a Girona judge threw out the case of José Moreno. Moreno was trafficking Romanian girls through his brothel “Paradise” in La Jonquera near the border with France. How many compromised men now consider “Paradise” their personal hell?
Most of my family is Catholic and even I didn’t know about Opus Dei or it’s dark child trafficking origins. I still trying to figure out all the networks and where these pieces fit into the transnational organized crime puzzle.
Most Catholics I know served in the military, support our republican form of government, and not the theocratic nightmare Opus Dei wants to install. Catholics need to hold Catholics accountable, just like Mormons, Israelis, etc. need to hold their own to account.
You can follow me on X.com @DCinTejas—my DMs are always open—or email me at DCinTejas@proton.me for tips. If you email me, just DM me on Twitter/X, so I know to check it. Thanks!
Additional Articles:
Opus Dei leaders accused over ‘extreme exploitation’ of women in Argentina | Financial Times | September 30, 2024
Inside Opus Dei | The Jerusalem Post | May 18, 2006
The group has been present in Israel since 1993, with approximately 30 members in the country at any time, says Christophe Rico, director of the Opus Dei Information Office in Israel since 1966.
Opus Dei in the Heart of Russia | Opus Dei | July 9, 2007
First Russian biography of Blessed Josemaria | Opus Dei | October 30, 2000
Russia present at St. Josemaría’s canonization | Opus Dei | April 17, 2003
How Chinese is Opus Dei? | Arthuriana | Apr 27, 2023
This is so interesting because it's so hidden in the church's . Bizarre
Pam Bondi: Google "Polygraph test of Ella Gareeva"