In addition to addressing the actress' withdrawal from the church, the controversial group addresses rumors surrounding the absence of David Miscavige's wife, Shelly.
- Jul 19, 2013
AceShowbiz - As Leah Remini's exit from Scientology along with some persistent rumors about the controversial church continues to become talk of the town, the group issues a new statement to address the matter. "We are disheartened that a small group of rumor peddlers and gossips are being given another opportunity by the media to hurl malicious, made-up stories," they say.
"Unlike the self-promoters behind this orchestrated campaign, the Church respects the religious beliefs of others and the privacy of parishioners. Numerous myths, gossip, rumors and falsehoods regurgitated over the last few days have their origins with a small collection of obsessive fringe bloggers exploiting others to promote self-serving hateful agendas."
Remini left the church reportedly after being subjected to years of "thought modification" for asking why David Miscavige's wife, Shelly, who was never seen publicly since 2007, was absent from Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' wedding. Branding any reports suggesting that the leader's wife was missing "insulting and offensive," the church says, "Mrs. Miscavige continues her work in the Church as she always has."
"As for Ms. Remini, we have previously supplied our comment: The Church respects the privacy of parishioners. We do not believe an individual's private spiritual matters should be exploited for personal gain by a handful of self-promoters who surface to spout the same tired tabloid myths," they conclude in a statement to ABC News.
