VATICAN CITY (VATICAN CITY)
World News Group [Asheville NC]
March 16, 2026
By Elizabeth Black
Pope Leo XIV held a private audience with investigative journalist Gareth Gore at the Vatican on Monday, according to a Substack post from Gore. Gore said the two spoke for more than 40 minutes, during which Gore highlighted allegations that the Opus Dei global Catholic organization was involved in widespread sexual grooming and trafficking. Gore authored a book, Opus, published in 2025, accusing the organization of those crimes and others, including financial misconduct. Opus Dei denied those claims.
The pope described Gore’s book as rigorous and they ended the meeting on good terms, Gore said. The Vatican had not issued a statement on the meeting as of Monday afternoon. The late Pope Francis in 2022 ordered Opus Dei to make some changes to its organizational structure and submit annual reports on its work, but he did not address sexual abuse allegations at the time.
What is Opus Dei, and how did it respond to Gore’s allegations? The global organization holds weekly classes focused on Catholic spiritual formation, as well as annual retreats for members. It also established or sponsors a variety of schools, hospitals, and charitable ventures, according to its website. The Catholic Church now recognizes Opus Dei’s founder, Josemaria Escriva, as a saint. The pope met with Opus Dei head Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz at the Vatican last month, according to Catholic news network EWTN.
Opus Dei described Gore’s book as markedly biased and said it contained many factual errors, according to its website. Opus Dei provided materials and interviews to Gore during the writing process of his book, it said. The organization also insisted that it handled abuse allegations properly, both through internal channels and law enforcement, as soon as it learned of them.
Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on a Vatican commission’s recent move toward reparations for abuse survivors.