The Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón in northern Spain called on the Vatican to assume control of Opus Dei’s Torreciudad complex, which lies within the diocesan boundaries, and to conduct a full audit of its financial accounts “as well as those of the societies and foundations related to the complex”.
In a statement published on 1 July, the diocese proposed that the Vatican elevate the canonical status of the massive Marian shrine complex from its current designation as a semi-public oratory or chapel to that of an international sanctuary, which under canon law would be regulated directly by the Vatican.
By doing so, the statement said, the Holy See would become the “competent authority” governing all matters related to Torreciudad, which it said might then be designated as an “international property” of the Vatican.
“As a dependent of the Holy See, the Holy See [would] audit and approve its accounts, as well as those of the societies and foundations related to the complex,” it said.
The appeal came just a week after unconfirmed rumours circulated in Spanish-language media of an imminent resolution to the dispute between the diocese and Opus Dei over jurisdictional regulation of the Torreciudad complex.
In October, Pope Francis appointed Spanish Archbishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo, a canon lawyer and dean of the tribunal of the Roman Rota, to investigate and report back to the Vatican on the dispute.
In December, Arellano visited Torreciudad and the diocese offices and is expected to provide Pope Leo XIV with a report on the matter at any time.
Reports of an imminent resolution said Bishop Angel Perez-Pueyo of Barbastro-Monzón had agreed to accept substantial remuneration to the diocese from Torreciudad, in exchange for Opus Dei agreeing that the bishop would select the rector of Torreciudad from a slate of three candidates proposed by Opus Dei.
However, the statement issued by the diocese indicated otherwise, saying it wished to renounce “any benefit or remuneration” as well as “any patrimonial or other liability” related to the complex and the “corporate structures” surrounding the Torreciudad operations.
The statement also said that as part of its proposal, “the original image of Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad”, currently enshrined in the main altarpiece in the massive church at Torreciudad, would be returned to its original location in a humble chapel at the edge of the complex, where it had previously “been venerated since time immemorial”.