VATICAN CITY, March 16 (Reuters) - Pope Leo met on Monday with an investigative journalist who alleges that a prominent Catholic organisation with ties to right-wing politicians in the U.S. and other countries covered up sexual and financial crimes, which the group firmly denies.
Leo met with British writer Gareth Gore, author of a 2024 book on Opus Dei, a Catholic religious community counting about 85,000 members across 70 countries. In a statement afterwards, Gore said he asked the pope to launch a formal inquiry into the group.
The Vatican press office said the pope wanted to have the meeting to listen first-hand to Gore's allegations. While the pope meets with a range of people daily, it is unusual for him to have a private meeting with a journalist.
Opus Dei ("Work of God") was founded in 1928 by a Spanish priest and teaches Catholics to strive for holiness through their work. Most of its members are not clerics but maintain strict spiritual practices and often choose to remain celibate.
The group is known for close ties with the Vatican, where many employees are members, including at least two former directors of the Vatican's press office.
Among allegations in the book, Gore said the group practices emotional control over its members and uses its influence to perpetrate financial fraud.
The organization has sharply rejected Gore's accusations, saying in a 2024 statement that his book was "littered with twisted facts". It did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the pope's meeting on Monday.
Opus Dei has a strong presence in Peru, where Leo served as a missionary for decades before becoming pope. The group says its mission is to spread Christian teachings across the world.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
