Russian Orthodox Church Labels Scientology a 'Brutal, Totalitarian Sect'

Russian Orthodox Church Labels Scientology a 'Brutal, Totalitarian Sect'

Moscow Times: Russian Orthodox Church Labels Scientology a 'Brutal, Totalitarian Sect'

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Russian Orthodox Church Labels Scientology a 'Brutal, Totalitarian Sect'

Oct. 05 2016 — 17:42

— Update: 17:42

The Russian Orthodox Church has called Scientology a “brutal, totalitarian sect” and accused it of being nothing more than a structure to defraud people out of money, the Rosbalt news agency reported Wednesday.

A representative for the missionary department of the St. Petersburg diocese, Archpriest Georgy Ioffe, said during a press conference on Wednesday that all the Church of Scientology’s methods were completely artificial and were created purely “to drain money from people.”

He said “quite a large number of people” had come to the St. Petersburg diocese, having suffered at the hands of the U.S.-based Church of Scientology.

Darya Varnovskaya, who spent spent time in St. Petersburg’s Church of Scientology, reported its weekly revenue as between three and four million rubles ($48,000-64,000), Rosbalt reported.

According to the news agency, Varnovskaya suspects the true figure is much higher, claiming the church’s international administration expects its St. Petersburg branch to earn 6 million rubles ($96,000) a week.

The church’s staff earned just 10,000 rubles ($160) and faced “disciplinary action” if they were unable to carry out “the plan," she said.

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Russian Orthodox Church Labels Scientology a 'Brutal, Totalitarian Sect'