Opus: dark money, a secretive cult, and its mission to remake our world

For over half a century, Banco Popular was one of the most profitable banks in the world — until one day, in 2017, when the Spanish bank suddenly collapsed overnight. When investigative journalist Gareth Gore was dispatched to report on the story, he expected to find yet another case of unbridled capitalist ambition gone wrong. Instead, he uncovered decades of deception that hid one of the most brazen cases of corporate pillaging in history, perpetrated by a group of men sworn to celibacy and self-flagellation who had secretly controlled Popular and abused their positions there to help spread Opus Dei to every corner of the world.

Drawing on unparalleled access to bank records and exclusive interviews with whistle-blowers from within Opus Dei, Gore reveals how money from the bank was used to lure unsuspecting recruits — some of them children — into a life of servitude. He also tracks the ascent of Opus Dei around the globe, exposing its role in bankrolling right-wing causes such as the US Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Documenting Opus Dei’s secret history for the first time, this thrilling work of investigative storytelling raises important questions about the dark forces that shape our society.