Opus Dei prelate urges members to understand rather than judge
In a message issued on August 19, 2026 during a trip to Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Uruguay, Fernando Ocáriz urged members to live unity through charity and to value differences of character and opinion as spiritual richness
The prelate of Opus Dei, Fernando Ocáriz, issued a message on August 19, 2026 inviting members to reflect on unity and diversity within Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church. He wrote during his trip to Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Uruguay, and thanked members for their prayers and support during the journey.
Ocáriz said that praying together, within the unity of the Church, brings people closer to the ideal of unity God wants for everyone. He cited John 17:21, where Jesus prays that all may be one, as the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father. That unity of faith and spirit, he said, is bound up with the differences in character, interests and opinions that each member brings to Opus Dei.
Charity at the center of unity and diversity
Just as unity in God is shown through infinite personal Love, which is the Holy Spirit, every expression of unity and diversity must be given life by charity, Ocáriz said. Seen that way, he said, even personal differences and limitations stop being reasons for separation, and instead foster understanding and mutual support.
He also quoted St. Josemaría Escrivá on the place of charity in understanding others: "Charity consists not so much in 'giving' as in 'understanding'" (The Way, no. 463). Ocáriz encouraged members of Opus Dei to recognize and value the qualities and virtues of others, and to approach their faults with affection and a desire to help.
Ocáriz closed the message with a blessing for all members of Opus Dei.
