Human Rights News - Church of Scientology Human Rights Department

17 February 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Office
Church of Scientology International
European Office for Public Affairs & Human Rights
Tel: 32 2231 1596
Fax: 32 280 15402
e-mail: csiofficedir@scientology-europe.org
website: www.scientology.org

EUROPEAN SCIENTOLOGY INFORMATION CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED IN BRUSSELS, SENDING EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS FOR SOCIETAL PLAGUES TO DECISION MAKERS

The first in a series of booklets aimed at making the Scientology religion and its solution to human rights and societal problems better known and understood, “Scientology Effective Solutions – Providing the Tools for Successful Living,” was released today and mailed to 60,000 officials in 8 languages in government, religion and education across Europe.

The European-wide information campaign was officially launched in Brussels with an event attended by prominent scholars, religious leaders, representatives of humanitarian organizations and officials of European institutions and diplomatic corps.

“The Scientology religion is a strong force in Europe today, and it is our duty to make known our solutions to threats of war and terrorism, violations of human rights, failing education and drug abuse,” said Fabio Amicarelli, director of the European Human Rights Office of the Church of Scientology International, located at 91 rue de la Loi in the European quarter.

The campaign is built around the release of a series of 12 publications, each providing information about the religious practices of Scientology and the Church’s social reform actions in areas such as freedom of conscience, religion, and freedom of information.

The first booklet in the series, “Providing the tools for successful living” introduces the work of the millions of Scientologists in Europe and worldwide and answers commonly asked questions about the Scientology religion and its activities.

“We have solutions to our societal crises” said Amicarelli, and we want to make the information available to others who can do something about it.”

The booklets will be distributed each month for the next year to more than 60,000 European decision makers and community leaders. The first booklet, reaching recipients starting this week, is an overview of the Scientology religion and its membership and activities across Europe.

“Effective solutions do exist and part of our information campaign is to make them well-known,” said Amicarelli.

The campaign will provide documented information about the effectiveness of the Church’s wide-reaching social betterment projects through which Scientologists for decades have been improving conditions across the continent. The social ills they address range from escalating drug abuse to declining moral values, from raising crime rates to failing educational programs. Their solutions are based on the discoveries of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Scientology religion.

In the five decades since the founding of the first Church of Scientology in 1954, Scientology has grown from one church to 3,700 churches, missions and groups in 154 countries, serving millions of parishioners in 54 languages worldwide.