Opus Dei (Latin: “Work of God”) is a Roman Catholic organization whose members seek personal Christian perfection and strive to implement Christian ideals and values in their occupations and in society as a whole. Its name stems from the organization’s emphasis on holiness being achieved through mundane everyday work rather than through prayer or spiritual discipline alone.
It is classified as a personal prelature and is neither a sect nor a religious order (a group in which members take solemn vows). Members include laypeople and clergy.
Opus Dei has attracted controversy and criticism for its theological conservatism. It has been accused of secrecy, cultlike practices such as brainwashing, and human trafficking. It has also been accused of having political ambitions and supporting right-wing causes in such countries as Spain and the United States.