Scientology has ‘always wanted Cork’
The Church of Scientology would relish the opportunity to expand down to Cork, an ex-member of the organisation has said.
Pete Griffiths, who parted ways with Scientology in 1994, said Cork was “without a doubt” a target for the US-based institution during his time as a member, with a number of members already based in the Rebel County.
However, the Mayo man now feels that, despite heavy investment in Ireland, numbers within the organisation are severely dwindling on the Emerald Isle and around the world.
Mr Griffiths said: “They've always wanted Cork. They've always thought it would be a great thing to have something there.
“But the thing is dying. How's it going to die? How's it going to finish up? It's hard to say. And of course, the diehard keep going. They 100% believe in what they do. They're like Trump supporters in a strange kind of a way.”
Founded in the US in the 1950s by controversial American science-fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, Scientology is believed to have first emerged in Ireland around 1956 when Mr Hubbard was working and living in Dublin where he set up an office in Merrion Square. In 2016, the Church of Scientology opened its National Affairs Office at 4 Merrion Square. This was followed in 2017 with the acquisition and grand opening of the Church of Scientology & Community Centre in the Dublin suburb of Firhouse.
“They've pumped in all this money in, and they've got nothing. It's shrinking,” said Mr Griffiths.
He continued: “I think a recent person who escaped estimated that the membership was less than 28,000 worldwide, and possibly even less than that. So, of course the Scientologists claim millions, but the truth is somewhere around that very small five figure sum.”
Since leaving Scientology, Mr Griffiths has dedicated much of his time to helping other members to escape the organisation and to warn people against getting involved in the first place. This resulted in a number of lawsuits and counter lawsuits between him and his former church.
He said: “You don’t join. You get recruited, and it is a step-by-step process.
“It’s imperceptible. You don’t realize it’s actually happening to you. And before you know it, you’re in. And that’s what happened to me.
“I mean, I didn’t join a cult. I joined some sort of self-help thing. Well, why can’t you improve yourself? Well, you can, but they are subversive. They don’t want that. They want you and your money and your time and your family and your friends and everything that you can possibly give them.”
As of the 2022 Census, 132 people identify as Scientologists in Ireland, just behind Satanism with 189, and lightyears behind the science-fictional religion of Jedi Knight (Star Wars), which is claimed by 1,800 Irish people.