Some critics claim Opus Dei exerts a disproportionately large influence within the Church itself. They point to the unusually hasty (and otherwise irregular) process in which . Pope John Paul II was a supporter of Opus Dei, and during his pontificate the head of the Vatican press office was a member of Opus Dei. An Opus Dei spokesman says "the influence of Opus Dei in the has been exaggerated." Of the nearly 200 cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, only two are known to be members of Opus Dei. Similarly, of the nearly 4000 bishops, only 20 are known to be members of Opus Dei.