Podcast
Untold: Opus Dei
Hosted by Financial Times · EN
Financial Times reporter Antonia Cundy uncovers how a little-known group within the Catholic Church has come to wield outsized cultural and political influence in America. Opus Dei exists to help people get closer to God, but some members say they found other agendas – and unexpected harm – entangled in that spiritual mission. In this series, Antonia hears stories from insiders who describe how boundaries within Opus Dei are often blurred: how guidance becomes control, how privacy becomes secrecy and how spiritual belief becomes political ideology.
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11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Toxic Legacy: Bonus episode with Samantha Power
3w ago00:32:30Tap to summarizeThe FT’s Laura Hughes speaks to Samantha Power, former head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) who spearheaded efforts to fight lead poisoning globally. They talk about why she got interested in lead poisoning, efforts at supply chain tracing Ecuadorian cinnamon, and the UK government’s new plans for a lead testing trial.For more information on how to live safely with lead, please visit the LEAPP Alliance website.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Opus Dei, Ep. 4: The closest tabernacle to the White House
Apr 1700:38:30Summary readyA sleepy Catholic bookshop and events space run by Opus Dei priests in Washington, has turned into a central networking hub for an ascendant conservative movement. Some of the biggest names on the right gravitate around it. People close to Opus Dei say that is not a coincidence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
SummaryOpus Dei, Ep. 3: Snow on the mountaintops
Apr 1000:33:30Tap to summarizeOver the past decade, elite universities have become home to a network of influential conservative think-tanks fighting against the “woke secular creed”. Meanwhile, at Opus Dei student centres, the next generation of ambitious leaders hear similar moral teachings creep into partisan politics. Is it just ideas that link the two – or more?Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Opus Dei, Ep. 2: Formation
Apr 100:30:58Tap to summarizeOpus Dei’s founder taught his followers that spiritual formation is a continual development of character. But some find that the views spread by Opus Dei do not always match the Church’s official teaching – particularly its attitudes towards women and homosexuality. Insiders describe a complex youth recruitment network that offers some clues to the kind of person Opus Dei molds – and what kind of person it is interested in.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Opus Dei, Ep. 1: Whistling
Mar 2500:36:08Tap to summarizeWe meet Sarah – a young girl drawn to Opus Dei’s message that professional work can be a path to holiness. At 18, Sarah says goodbye to her family and moves into an Opus Dei centre to learn how to make her work an offering to God. But what she experiences there feels different to the organisation she thought she knew. Sarah chafes at unexpected rules, unquestioning obedience and dehumanising treatment.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Introducing Untold: Opus Dei
Mar 1100:01:09Tap to summarizeIntroducing Opus Dei, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation in America. Opus Dei exists to help people get closer to God, but some members say they found other agendas – and unexpected harm – entangled in that spiritual mission. The first episode of Untold: Opus Dei launches on March 25. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →FT long read: The Broker
Feb 1700:36:35Tap to summarizeIn this special bonus episode from The Financial Times, "The Broker" tells the story of how a failed baseball hopeful and disgraced stockbroker reinvented himself as one of America’s most consequential modern arms dealers.From a family-run warehouse in Virginia Beach, Will Somerindyke built his company into a crucial conduit in the Pentagon’s covert supply chains — sourcing Soviet-era weapons for wars in Syria and Yemen before emerging as a central player in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.As artillery shells became the most sought-after commodity of the war, he placed a multimillion-dollar bet on reviving crumbling Cold War factories in the Balkans, transforming himself from middleman to manufacturer.Based on months of reporting, The Broker traces Somerindyke’s rise through the shadow world of privatised warfare — where geopolitics, profit and personal ambition collide — and reveals how modern conflicts are sustained not only by soldiers on the front lines, but by entrepreneurs who move the weapons behind the scenes.This piece, written by the FT’s Miles Johnson, host of Hot Money Season 2: The New Narcos, was originally printed in FT Weekend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Tech Tonic: Defying death
Dec 3100:36:32Tap to summarizeHow much do we really know about ageing? For decades, scientists have been trying to understand the biology of the ageing process - what happens to our bodies as we get older? And is it possible to slow that process down or even stop it all together?In this series of Tech Tonic, the FT’s Hannah Kuchler and Michael Peel look into the past, present and future of longevity - the wellness movement focused on extending and bettering your quality of life. Episode 1 follows Hannah as she speaks with UCL professor David Gems about the history of ageing research, and then with longevity researcher Matt Kaeberlein to discuss how the industry has developed - including current drugs that could have anti-ageing effects. Plus, Michael visits the Reviv clinic in London where he experiences, first hand, the growing consumer interest in the longevity craze. To listen to the rest of the series, find Tech Tonic on your favourite podcast platform by clicking here!Clips: @DaveAspreyBPR, @drjoshaxe, @HealthCoachKait, Hevolution, Pom, Purina, Garnier, 4G antioxidants, @ChrisWillx, @lexfridman, ABC News, C-Span, CBS, ITV This Morning, Wired UK, The Dissenter, Will TennysonThe FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Swamp Notes: The Bethlehem Project
Dec 2400:39:10Tap to summarizeSwamp Notes: The Bethlehem Project is a new FT podcast series that tackles some of the US’s biggest political and economic issues through the lens of one city: Bethlehem Pennsylvania. The city is a politically divided area in a critical swing state, and reflects a lot of conversations happening nationally. The first episode tackles what happens when immigration enforcement comes to town, and the second episode explore what it's like growing up in Donald Trump's America.Subscribe to Swamp Notes here.Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts This is a repeat of episodes published on Swamp Notes, a sister podcast of Untold, on Nov. 10 and Dec. 17, 2025 respectively. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Toxic Legacy, Ep. 3: The Whisper and Scream
Nov 500:27:40Tap to summarizeA toddler in Leeds died from lead poisoning. Laura Hughes speaks to doctors in the UK to learn what must be done to prevent it from happening again. She learns that truly addressing the problem will be a massive undertaking. It would require a complete overhaul of the housing, environmental and food standards systems. But first, we need to find out where the lead is. Learn more about Untold: Toxic Legacy.For more information on how to live safely with lead, please visit the LEAPP Alliance website.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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