Desperate Bishop

Aside from Silas, the only other Opus Dei member of significance in The Da Vinci Code is Bishop Aringarossa, who heads that organization. He is not portrayed unfavorably at all. In a flashback, we learn that he showed kindness to Silas and gave him a home after the mistreated albino was able to escape from prison during an earthquake. He actually gave Silas his name, drawing on the experience of the Biblical Silas who also survived an earthquake.

The Bishop is a stressed and desperate man throughout most of the story. At first, it seems that he is worried over the potential harm that will come to the Catholic Church if the Priory of Sion reveals the true meaning of the Holy Grail to the rest of the world. Later, however, we discover that there is another source for his worry. Notwithstanding his fears, Bishop Aringarossa is a man who wants to avoid violence and killing. Realizing this, the "Teacher" prevents the Bishop from communicating with Silas, while the monk is on his mission of killing. Toward the end of the book, the Bishop realizes he and Silas have been duped by the "Teacher," and he makes a frantic effort to stop Silas from killing anyone else.

As I say, the Bishop is essentially a positive character. He is a man who stands for something and who has principles that will not change to accommodate the latest popular whim. He even stands firm against his superiors in the Vatican, who he feels are moving in the wrong direction. I don't know if Bishop Aringarossa is truly representative of clergy who are members of Opus Dei, but I certainly wouldn't think poorly of Opus Dei because of him.

As I mentioned earlier, Silas is not a positive character. But I don't get the feeling that he is a true representative of the Opus Dei rank-and-file membership. As far as I can tell, this guy is a fanatic even by Opus Dei's standards.