The HEROIC MINUTE docuseries manifests through the testimony of 13 women in a real and respectful way the dramatic part that many of us experience within Opus Dei. In just two days after the first two chapters of this docuseries appeared on MAX, I have heard comments from other women who belonged to the institution who agreed that the way these testimonies are presented is true to reality and that we feel represented in the voice of those thirteen who bravely appear.
What the protagonists narrate are testimonies of facts that the institution continues to deny in the face of public opinion and interpret in the face of its members in a misleading way as something spiritual because they do not want to show that many founding teachings and practices that have been developed in these almost one hundred years are abusive and violate fundamental human rights. That is why something extremely enriching in the series is the intervention of people outside the Opus who explain from psychology the way in which coercive groups or sectarian aberrations function, as well as the damage and consequences.
It strikes me that the reviews or comments against are practically the same and above all, solid arguments are missing. The common denominator of these criticisms is:
1) That there is a lack of research, for this I recommend seeing the previous interviews with the director of the series where she narrates the work behind the docuseries as well as the reasons that led her to work on it, an investigation of at least 4 years, many hours of listening to diverse testimonies not only of the 13 that appear in the series. There are also 2 investigative journalists who have done in-depth work on a book and several reports in prestigious media, so their argument of lack of investigation seems unfounded to me.
2) Some comments against the series ask for verifiable data from official documents, I don't know if they wrote without seeing it or if they fell asleep at the moments when in the same series texts from Opus documents are read that show that the praxis of what those 13 women and so many of us live are real.
3) It states that there is no concrete evidence, but we know that there are several complaints before the Vatican, not only from former members but from current members, a criminal process in Argentina where at least 4 priests are involved, more than 25,000 testimonies on the Opus Libros platform, and many more testimonies in programs such as Ágora Colloquios on YouTube. It would seem that where the desire to investigate has been lacking has been on the part of the current members.
4) They minimize the testimonies because they are emotional as if that detracts from the veracity of the facts.
5) They mention that they do not invite discussion or show alternative points of view when they did not accept the right of reply, both the headquarters and the spokespersons did not respond to the invitation from the director and producer of the series.
I am aware that the Opus is circulating messages inviting people not to watch the series, thus reinforcing that what the Opus constantly seeks is to manipulate, direct and manage the conscience and lives of the people who are still there.
