Paris school faces investigation over Opus Dei links, by David Chazan, Telegraph (UK) (April 16, 2014)

A private school in Paris is to be investigated after complaints from parents and teachers that it has fallen under the “fundamentalist” influence of the conservative Roman Catholic group Opus Dei.

Benoit Hamon, the education minister, has ordered an inspection of the Gerson school in the 16th arrondissement, saying there is evidence that pupils are being subjected to “an ideological war from another era”.

Members of a group called Alliance Vita or “Life Alliance”, which is close to Opus Dei, allegedly told sixth formers that women who used birth control were “semi-murderers” and abortion was “tantamount to murder”, according to a parent quoted in Le Parisien newspaper.

Alliance Vita said its members had been invited by the school to address pupils about topics including in-vitro fertilisation and surrogacy. “Some want the subject of abortion to remain taboo but abortion is a genuine issue in society that should be discussed with young people,” the group said in a statement.

Valerie Ginet, the head of the Catholic teachers’ union, FEP-CFDT said ultra-conservative Catholics were trying to take over the school. “They clearly want to turn it into an Opus Dei school and get rid of anyone who’s against that. They don’t want children who haven’t been baptised or children whose parents have separated,” Mrs Ginet said.

However, a statement from the school board management said the association had merely “taken part in extra-curricular sessions,” adding that it had received no complaints from teachers or pupils.

Philippe Person, the headmaster, said: “It’s possible that two members of the school faculty belong to Opus Dei out of 150 teachers and staff, but this is a commitment that is strictly private and does not interfere in any way with the education and teaching at our school.”