As has been widely publicized, a trial began last week in Paris that could result in the dissolution of the Church of Scientology in France.
But according to Le Monde reporter Caroline Fourest, the French government might just tip the scales of justice in favor of the group, called a path to salvation by its adherents and a dangerous cult that takes advantage of the vulnerable by its critics.
For Le Monde, Caroline Fourest writes in part:
“After a 10-year-investigation, the case against the group is solid. Yet Scientology has expressed confidence. And what’s the reason for such optimism? A surprising request for dismissal by the public prosecutor at the end of the court investigation [a sign that the Sarkozy government isn’t too happy about pursuing the case. The court dismissed the request].”
“In 2003, members of the Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and Combating Cultic Deviances recall having attended a seminar where the lawyer for the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Danièle Gounord, spokesperson for Scientology, had dinner with a representative of the Interior Ministry’s Religious Affairs Bureau [Sarkozy was interior minister]. The same year, Arnaud Palisson, an intelligence service official, published a thesis on Scientology that was shelved at the request of the sect.”
“In 2004, Sarkozy met Scientology ambassador Tom Cruise – to talk about the cinema, of course. That same minister [Sarkozy was finance minister] published a book calling for a more tolerant secularism, where the word ‘sect’ wouldn’t be used ‘left, right and center.'”
By Caroline Fourest
Translated By Sandrine Ageorges
May 29, 2009
France – Le Monde – Original Article (French)
The trial that began in Paris on May 25th is a test to determine whether France remains a country that is particularly diligent about a reversion to sectarianism or whether it’s letting down its guard. One may recall the ambiguous statement by Emmanuelle Mignon, the former chief of staff to the president, which has since been deemphasized: “Sects are a non-issue.”This is not the opinion held by the victims of Scientology, for example a hotel maid who spent over $29,800 [€21,000] in just a few months on “life reparation classes,” sauna sessions, vitamins and an “electrometer” supposed to measure the “zones of spiritual imperfections.”
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