JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

A NEW CHURCH IN THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION

Dedicating the first Ideal Church of Scientology on the African continent, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, addressed South African Scientologists and honored guests at the opening of the new Church of Scientology of Johannesburg on November 1, 2003.

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“Where do we all gather this evening, the eyes of the Scientology world fixed upon us? Not America, not England nor Denmark. They are fixed on Africa. Because what you have created is the finest Class V Church in Scientology. Tonight Johannesburg stands as Number One.”

Dedicating the four-building, 36,000-square-foot Church with Mr. Miscavige was South Africa’s Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Dr. Ben Ngubane. Also welcoming the Church were Johannesburg City Councilor Carol Milner, Johannesburg Area Police Commissioner Oswald Reddy, and Tribute magazine editor and publisher Ms. Pearl Mashabela.

Mr. Miscavige noted the many accomplishments of South African Scientologists in the 45-year history of the congregation, including exposure of psychiatric labor camps housing Black citizens and relentless efforts to restore their human rights through the apartheid era; empowering the next generations with literacy programs; and calming full-scale riots with broad distribution of The Way to Happiness moral code, a code all South Africa could embrace.

Quoting Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard’s prediction that “From South Africa will spring the next great civilization on this planet,” Mr. Miscavige told the assembled Scientologists: 

“You do not just represent the hopes and dreams of a continent, you represent the hopes and dreams of all civilization. And if South Africa dreams of a Rainbow Nation, then, Africa, here is your Church—a Church where, regardless of color, regardless of creed, regardless of social standing, you are welcome.

“Because we are not white. We are not black. We are all one to another brothers of humankind.”