Scientology celebrates 20 ‘Ideal’ years in Madrid — but leaves out Tom Cruise!

Scientology leader David Miscavige’s pet project, turning ordinary “orgs” into “Ideal Orgs,” got going in 2003, and so some of the early garish cathedrals are now celebrating 20 years in business.

It was in September 2004, for example, that an Ideal Org was opened in Madrid, so this week Scientology put out a press release celebrating 20 years since it had its grand opening. Here is some of the language from that release (emphasis theirs)…

In a privileged location in Madrid, the Church of Scientology of Spain marks a special occasion celebrating the 20th anniversary since its current international ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige cut the ribbon in a ceremony that welcomed over 6000 people that day alone, 50 meters away from the Spanish Parliament and within the renowned Barrio de las Letras district.

The Ideal Church was opened twenty years ago as a reflection of the Church's dedication to offering a place of worship and a beacon for community gathering and support in a neighborhood known for its vibrant literary traditions that represents a mix of spiritual exploration and cultural significance.

Hip, hip, hooray, right?

But what grabbed our attention is what was missing from the press release.

After all, the grand opening of the Madrid church was the only Ideal Org ceremony (out of 69, so far) that was ever attended by Top Gun himself, Scientology’s biggest ever celebrity, Tom Cruise!

And not only did Tom make the scene, he even gave a speech. And in Spanish!

Why oh why would Scientology not want to celebrate that 20 years later?

Here, take a look at Tom doing his best to get through the speech…

I am going to attempt to speak to you in Spanish. So please, be patient with me. Be patient. Is that OK? I am very happy to be with you today. The reasons are simple. I adore and love this country and its people. I was raised by my mother. We didn’t have much, but she gave me something I have held onto to this day: The importance of people. I care deeply about my family and my fellow man. In fact, I value that above all else I possess. And that is why the only despair I ever felt was when I could not help. I confronted the same problems as everyone else: Conflict, upsets, interpersonal relationships. All those things that prevent the most valuable commodity in life: Happiness. That is what made me look for answers. Twenty years ago, this despair was gone. It was the day I discovered Scientology. What I found were tools that work. Solutions that can be applied and that resolve, in fact, the problems of life. And above all, it helped me to find peace and happiness. And I will tell you what I got in life, as a man, as a father, as an artist — it is the result of being a Scientologist and having these tools. If I could give you the world, I would. But can you achieve happiness? That is why I am so happy to help give you this church, like the one I have had, so that you can reach your dreams. Thank you very much, Spain. Thank you very much.

As we’ve pointed out before, it’s a little surprising that Cruise says he discovered Scientology 20 years before. It was actually in 1986, only 18 years before, that Mimi Rogers had begun bringing Tom around The Enhancement Centre, a Sherman Oaks Scientology field office Mimi had founded with her previous husband Jim Rogers and then had sold but still used. (Rogers and Cruise were married on Dianetics Day — May 9 — in 1987.) As far as we know, he still had a couple of years to go before he’d reached that 20th anniversary as a Hubbardite.

So why would Miscavige want to erase this unique Tom Cruise moment and focus only on himself opening up the Madrid cathedral?

After all, Miscavige had Cruise make a very showy display of himself at last year’s IAS gala. It’s not like Dave isn’t very aware of Tom’s power to delight the Scientology masses.

Maybe one reason why Miscavige doesn’t want to remind people that Cruise gave that speech 20 years ago is that after he was done, Top Gun bounded down the stairs and joined the VIPs in the front row, which included his go-fer Tommy Davis, Miscavige himself, and Miscavige’s wife, Shelly.

It’s the last bit of video of Shelly in public that we’ve ever seen. The next year, in late summer 2005, she famously vanished and, we believe, was taken up to the CST Headquarters compound near Lake Arrowhead, California, where we think she’s still being kept all these years later.

Also very significant about that Madrid celebration, it’s the fateful day when Tom reportedly told Dave that he was having a hard time finding a new girlfriend (his relationship with Penelope Cruz had ended earlier that year). And so Dave put Shelly in charge of a bizarre project that unfolded over the next several weeks: auditioning actresses to become Tom’s next girlfriend, which resulted in choosing Nazanin Boniadi to start dating Tom that November. (By January the relationship was over.)

So yeah, there’s a lot to remember from that fateful day in September 2004 in Spain’s capital.

A very significant anniversary indeed, even if Dave is trying to keep the best parts under wraps.

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Jane Doe 1 can remain anonymous, judge rules

In a hearing yesterday at Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Kevin C. Brazile denied Scientology’s attempt to force Jane Doe 1 to begin using her actual name in her forced-marriage lawsuit against the church, her former husband and Sea Org recruiter Gavin Potter, and Scientology leader David Miscavige.

If you remember, Scientology was trying to force this lawsuit into “religious arbitration” (as it usually does), and Jane Doe was on the verge of a stunning victory when Judge Robert Broadbelt posted a tentative ruling calling Scientology’s arbitration scheme inherently unfair. But before the judge could make that ruling final, Miscavige had him removed from the case with a peremptory challenge.

Scientology has since added more filings to its argument for arbitration, but the new judge,. Judge Brazile, has not had a chance to rule on it. In the meantime, at least, he’s allowing Jane Doe 1 to continue to shield her identity.

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Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history

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