International Expansion and Pontifical Approval

The end of the Second World War made it possible to think about the universal expansion of Opus Dei, which had already begun, albeit in a limited way (Portugal and Italy), during the war. This expansion meant being subject to pontifical rather than diocesan authority. And so in 1946 St. Josemaría moved to Rome, settling there until his death. In 1947 and 1950 Pope Pius XII granted Opus Dei the appropriate canonical approvals, which permitted not only the expansion of Opus Dei, but also allowed married people to become members. Further, priests incardinated in dioceses could also join the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, in a way compatible with their subordination to their bishops. In 1982, after the Founder's death, Opus Dei, following a juridical path which he had long prepared and cherished, was established by the Pope as a Personal Prelature, thus achieving full juridical configuration in keeping with the reality of its spirit and activity.

All through his long Roman years (1946-1975), St. Josemaría stimulated and guided the expansion of Opus Dei throughout the world, using all his energy to give the faithful of Opus Dei, both men and women, a solid doctrinal, ascetic and apostolic formation, that would permit them to sanctify their different professions and to spread the Christian message from the most varied spheres of life. The expansion was in fact very rapid. In 1946 members of Opus Dei began to work in Great Britain, Ireland and France, reaching most of the countries of western Europe in successive years. In 1948 it began its work in Mexico and the United States and, soon afterwards, in a large number of other nations of the American continent. At the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s, Opus Dei established a stable presence in Asia and Africa: Japan, the Philippines and Kenya. At the death of its Founder, Opus Dei had more than 60,000 members of 80 nationalities and from the most varied professions and walks of life. As fruit of its activity, numerous people had drawn closer to the Catholic faith or had progressed in their Christian life, and different educational, charitable and apostolic initiatives had been started, such as the University of Navarra (Spain), of which St. Josemaría was the first Grand Chancellor.