Thread by @gareth_gore

“A living hell”

X-Men star talks about growing up gay inside the abusive Opus Dei cult

🧵 A THREAD

smh.com.au/lifestyle/life…

Tim Pocock attended an Opus Dei school in Australia, where he was subjected to “constant monitoring” and “manipulation”

It “left me completely unprepared for the real world, unable to be myself and, most importantly, ashamed of who I was”

https://x.com/realtimpocock/status/1932114106590597311

The school was supposedly set up by a small group of parents who called themselves “Parents for Education” in 1982

Their mission, as the story goes, was to open a new school “focused on education of the whole person”

pared.edu.au/the-pared-foun…

But, as with so many things when it comes to Opus Dei, in reality things were not quite what they seemed

In researching my book, I discovered the school – and many like it across the world – were funded by a bank in Spain secretly controlled by the cult

a.co/d/0Yrgsgb

Redfield says that its chaplains are Opus Dei – but that “in all other aspects, the schools are ... their own administrations”

But Pocock says this is a lie: “I can tell you categorically that Opus Dei’s influence was all-encompassing”

redfield.nsw.edu.au

At many Opus Dei schools, the playbook is the same: children are identified as potential members and groomed

At Redfield, one kid discovered a book with a list of names, noting each boy’s weaknesses and the strengths they might offer to Opus Dei

abc.net.au/news/2023-01-3…

At another Opus Dei school, girls were told they didn’t need to take a cancer-preventing vaccine because they would only ever have one sexual partner – their husbands

That “advice” ignored the fact that they might contract the virus from him

abc.net.au/religion/conse…

Teachers passed a piece of sticky tape around the room to demonstrate how having multiple sexual partners made a person dirty and “unusable”

Chastity was drummed into the girls, who were made to watch videos and were taught that masturbation was an “objective disorder” – just like homosexuality

abc.net.au/news/2023-02-1…

The State Premier, who was brought up in an Opus Dei family and who attended the school, was forced to launch the investigation into grooming claims

The education authority, which reported to him, later dropped the investigation

northweststar.com.au/story/8066101/…

The Opus Dei priests were also involved in the grooming, Pocock claims

At confession, “he would spend the time trying to glean information so that he could identify us”

smh.com.au/lifestyle/life…

Pocock says certain parts of the textbooks were “removed or blacked out”

The school would not only refuse to teach the content, but also didn’t want us to be reading it in our free time

He writes about it in his book

amzn.eu/d/g6yzg34

Dozens of former Opus Dei members have accused the group of recruiting children in recent years, challenging the organisation’s claims that it does not target minors

The Financial Times' @antoniacundy reported on it last year

on.ft.com/4dfUgLO

The Vatican is currently finalising a huge reform of this abusive cult

In the past few days, the group submitted its plans for change to the Holy See

It looks to be the first big test for Pope Leo

https://x.com/gareth_gore/status/1932820624927568201

I write about this – and more – in my book OPUS

“A well-told, gripping story” – WASHINGTON POST

“Vividly told and excellently researched” – FINANCIAL TIMES

“A genuine exposé, a fluid, authoritative account” – TLS

a.co/d/bzOpYeD

Do give @realtimpocock a follow - and read his book!

https://x.com/realtimpocock/status/1932114106590597311