Varadkar ‘ignorant of Scientology threat to gays’
A FORMER Scientologist has condemned the Taoiseach’s refusal to call the controversial group a cult – and said that Leo Varadkar, as a gay man, should be concerned about its attitudes to LGBT people.
John McGhee branded Mr Varadkar’s comments ‘awful’ and outlined the tactics used by the Church of Scientology to attract and control members.
Mr Varadkar had been asked about Dublin South West TD Colm Brophy hosting a delegation of Scientologists at Leinster House in September. The organisation – which counts Tom Cruise, pictured, among its adherents – had opened a new centre earlier this year in Mr Brophy’s constituency.
The Taoiseach told reporters: ‘It is reasonable for a TD to actually engage with a group who are establishing a premises in their constituency.’
Referring to the Taoiseach, Mr McGhee, who now campaigns against Scientology, said: ‘He is extremely ignorant and blasé about this very dangerous cult, which is trying to gain a foothold here and undermine all the values of a free society that we now enjoy.’ He questioned how the Taoiseach, as a gay man, could not be concerned about a Fine Gael TD hosting a group which Mr McGhee claimed wants to destroy gay people ‘without sorrow or remorse’.
However, a spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology told the MoS that it ‘does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation’.
She added: ‘Churches of Scientology and their staff do not participate in the political debate about sexual orientation.
‘Our purpose is to help people achieve greater spiritual awareness and be happier – no matter what their sexual orientation.’
The Taoiseach’s office declined to comment.